


Emrys the Dragon

by AkseeDragon



Series: Emrys the Dragon [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Good!Mordred, Hurt Merlin, Magic Revealed, Merlin is a dragon, S1-S2, Uses dialog from the show, good!Morgana
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-02-19 09:32:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 49,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13120974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkseeDragon/pseuds/AkseeDragon
Summary: Au, what if Merlin could turn into a dragon? What if Arthur was just a little less oblivious about magic? What does this do to Morgana's fate?





	1. First meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Everything is better with (more) dragons.

_Many years ago, a strange tale came to be heard by the ears of Camelot, a young babe, in Essitir, born with the Pendragon crest upon his chest. Many wondered who the child was, and how they could have been born such a way- some said it must be fate, destiny. Other claimed it was magic. But the rumors were never confirmed… or denied._

~~~~~  
Just another day in the woods. An average hunt for Prince Arthur and his manservant- and just like always, for some strange reason, they were attacked.  
There were too many; Arthur was quickly overwhelmed by the bandits or whatever they were this time. He lost track of his manservant in the struggle; he hoped Merlin got away.

Arthur was forced to his knees and bound with rope at sword point. He was vaguely aware of one of the bandits talking, saying something about what they planned to do with him. Same old, same old. Arthur was too busy thinking of a way out. 

He half-hoped Merlin was planning something, then remembered that Merlin was a clumsy idiot and whatever half baked plan he might come up with wouldn’t end well at all.  
He sighed.

A strange sound echoed through the clearing as strong winds came from the sky. A shadow blocked out the sun. Arthur looked up.

It was a bloody dragon.

The dragon picked up the leader with a claw, easily ripping him to shreds and tossing him into a tree. The other bandits fled- leaving Arthur and the dragon alone.  
It hovered above Arthur a moment, before touching down and staring directly at him. It did that strange head-tilt all animals seem to do. 

It had raven-black scales, except for a patch on its chest. There, standing out against the black, was the Pendragon crest in golden scales.

Arthur cowered as the dragon moved a clawed paw towards him. He closed his eyes, awaiting his imminent death-

When his binds fell away.

Arthur opened his eyes, the dragon retracting its claws. It stared at him a moment longer, then stretched out to its full height. 

Arthur froze on the spot. 

He didn’t know what to do, his mind screaming run while his legs disobeyed.

And then, the dragon did the strangest thing- it bowed.

“My King,” it said, and picked up it’s head. It made eye contact with Arthur again, and flew off to who-knows-where.

Prince Arthur sat there on his knees, staring at the spot the dragon had been until his mind caught up with him.  
“What the hell?!”

A rustling sound made Arthur jump, he quickly turned his head to see his fairly new manservant staring at him.

“Was that a dragon?” Merlin asked, mouth agape, yet smiling.

Arthur jumped to his feet, saying “You will tell no one about this. You hear me Merlin?”

“What, Prince Arthur was not brought to his knees by bandits, did not see a black dragon and was not saved by or bowed to by said dragon?”

“Shut up, or I’ll throw you in the stocks,” Arthur threatened.

Merlin smiled in that annoyingly _Mer_ lin way of his.  
“Whatever you say, sire,” he replied sarcastically.

“Idiot.”

“Prat.”

~~~~~  
The Dragon just… kept showing up, whenever Arthur was in serious danger and only if he was alone. 

Merlin never seemed to be there when the dragon arrived, but was always there when it left. He claimed to be frightened by it; it was a plausible reason, thought Arthur, it was a dragon, one that had huge claws and breathed fire and seemed weirdly loyal to Arthur, despite the fact that King Uther had killed countless dragons in the past.

He wondered how this one had escaped his father's wrath. Maybe his father let it go, because of the Pendragon crest? 

He dismissed that idea- Uther hated all dragons and everything to do with magic.

So why did this one keep saving him?


	2. Visit to the Library

Prince Arthur was rarely one to visit the castle library. But dire times called for unusual circumstances.  
Yes, this was certainly a dire circumstance. A dragon saving his life with no explanation? What did it want?

Arthur quietly slipped into the library and approached Geoffrey, who was neck deep in paperwork. He cleared his throat, making Geoffrey jump.

“Sire! I’m sorry, I didn’t notice you come in. What can I help you with?” Geoffrey asked, standing up.

“I was wondering if you had any books about dragons,” Arthur asked, in his ‘prince voice,’ as Merlin called it.

“Dragons, Sire?” Geoffrey replied, eyebrow arching similarly to Gaius’s.

“I decided it would be good to know all I could about dragons, in case I ever had to face one.”

“Your father killed all the dragons, Sire.”

“Do not play games with me, Geoffrey. It is better to be safe than sorry,” Arthur stated.

Geoffrey stared at him quizzically for a moment, then turned and said, “This way, Sire.”  
There were very few books on dragons left in the library, the King had most of them burned many years ago. The only books left were instructions on how to kill, hurt, maim, or seriously injure a dragon.

Arthur sighed dejectedly. He got what he asked for, but… it wasn’t what he was looking for.

“Is something wrong, Sire?” Geoffrey asked, looking up from his papers as Arthur closed another book.

Arthur shook his head.  
“It’s nothing,” he replied. He left the books on the table and walked out of the library.

~~~~~  
After sitting through another long, boring meeting he had to sit in because of his position as Prince, Arthur returned to his room. 

The fire had been lit, and the place was spotless. He had to admit, mentally, that Merlin was getting good at this. A slight scuffle in the corner made Arthur realize he wasn’t alone. Merlin had set down Arthur’s diner on the table.  
Arthur nodded his acknowledgment.

“Is there anything else I can do for you, Arthur?” Merlin said sarcastically.

Arthur waved him off, walking to his bed.  
“No, that will be all Merlin. You can go.”

Merlin froze on the spot.  
“Are you alright?” he asked.

“What is it, Merlin.”

“No extra chores, no ‘Don’t forget to polish my armor, wash my socks, sort through-”

“Shut up Merlin.”

“Not until I find out what’s wrong with you.”

“At the moment, the only thing wrong is you,” Arthur rolled his eyes.

As Merlin continued to ramble about god knows what, Arthur noticed a large, leather bound book sitting on his pillow.  
“Merlin,” Arthur said, cutting his manservant off.

“Yes, Arthur?”

“Where did this book come from?”

“What book?”

“This one,” Arthur demanded, holding up the book for his servant to see.

Merlin raised his hand pointedly then said, “I have no idea.”

_“Mer-”_

“It was there when I got here.”

“Just- you’re dismissed, go.”

“As you wish, Arthur,” Merlin mock-bowed, “Hope you feel better in the morning.”

A goblet flew through the air, barely missing the retreating manservant.

“Idiot,” Arthur mumbled, opening the book.  
It was _exactly_ what he had been looking for. A complete encyclopedia of dragons, organised by their color. It described habitats, eating habits, everything someone might want to know about a dragon. He opened the front cover and a note fell out of it. _‘Is this what you’re looking for?’_ it said, in handwriting that looks suspiciously like the head librarians.  
Arthur smiled, laying the note down.  
He flipped to the section on black dragons; his eyes widened as he read,

_A black dragon is not really a dragon at all. Black dragon is the form of the Dragon Lords. Dragon Lords are humans who have control over all species of dragon, and the most powerful can even become one._

There was more to read, but Arthur’s mind wandered. His- the dragon was a person? A person with control over dragons… such a thing could be seen as sorcery. 

_Magic is evil, the dragon obviously wanted to get close to me so it could kill me. ___

____

____

_But what if it wasn’t evil? _said a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Merlin.__

____

____

_Well, if the Dragon Lord is a sorcerer, and said sorcerer was on my side for who knows why, then it would be on the side of good, and therefore maybe magic isn’t as evil as I was lead to believe. ___

____

____

Arthur dropped the book, shaking his head. Such thoughts were treasonous to the King, to his father. 

He suddenly remembered that he forgot to eat, so he sat down to eat the now cold meal, trying to think of anything other than dragons and magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is this okay? I'm not feeling it... Might change the style later


	3. The Moment of Truth part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur heads to Ealdor, to help Merlin and his Mother deal with bandits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was having trouble figuring out where to go next so to Ealdor it is! Mostly I just wanted to add a conversation I think should have come up, how else would Arthur find out?  
> I know i jumped around a bit, sorry about that.

Merlin rushed into Arthur's chambers, out of breath.  
“I need an audience with the King.”

Arthur looked up from his desk, exasperated. “What on earth is so important that you need to tell the King?”

“Well, not me specifically, it’s my- this women, her town is under attack-”

Now that was worrying.  
“Under attack?”

“Arthur, please-” Merlin begged.

Arthur sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.  
“Alright Merlin, I’ll see what I can do. You better not be wasting my time.”

“Thank you Arthur,” he smiled, “I’ll go get her.” Merlin rushed out, knocking over a chair as he went.

~~~~~  
Arthur’s not sure how he got his father to agree to listen to a woman Arthur knew nothing about, but he was just thankful he did. He tracked Merlin down to Gaius’s quarters. Voices drifted down the hallway as he drew closer.

“Here, Hunith, this should help with the swelling. Dab it on around your eye,” said Gaius.

“I’ll do it,” said Merlin.

Arthur paused at the door.

“Merlin, I can do it myself,” said the woman, Hunith was it?

“Mother, just let me-”

Arthur’s eyebrows raised up. He opened the door, saying, “Ah, there you are, Merlin.”

Merlin spun around so fast he probably gave himself whiplash.  
“Arthur! Did you-”

“You have an audience with him at one.”

Merlin smiled, “Thank you.”

“Hunith was it?” Arthur asked, leaning against the door frame.

“Yes sire,” she bowed her head.

“Please, call me Arthur. Tell me, how much of a handful was Merlin to raise? If he was anything like he is now as a child, must have been hard for you,” he smirked.

Hunith smiled, unsure.  
“Oh, he was a little nuisance. I spent most of my time running after him to keep him out of trouble.”

“Mother!” Merlin exclaimed.

Arthur and Gaius laughed as a blush crept onto Merlin’s face.

~~~~~  
“...The winters are harsh in Ealdor, and there are many children. Some of them just won't be strong enough to survive. We barely have enough food as it is, and if Kanen takes our harvest, our children won't live to see another summer. Please, we need your help,” Hunith begged the King.  
She stood facing King Uther in the middle of the throne room, surrounded by knights and members of the King’s court, as well as Lady Morgana, Guinevere, and Merlin. Arthur stood by his father’s side, giving Hunith his full attention.

“Ealdor's in Cenred's kingdom,” Uther replied bluntly, “Your safety is his responsibility.”

Arthur turned towards his father, barely holding back his disapproval as she continued to talk.

“We've appealed to our King, but he cares little for the outlying regions. You're our only hope.”

There was a lull as everyone looked towards the King expectantly, even Arthur. He believed his father would do the right thing.

“I have the deepest sympathy for you, and would have this _barbarian_ wiped off the face of the earth”

“You'll help us?” Hunith asked, hopeful.

“I wish I could.”

 _‘What?’_ thought Arthur.  
“Surely we can spare a few men?” he asked, keeping his face as emotionless as he could.

“Resources are not the problem,” Uther waved off.

Morgana spoke up sharply, “Then what is?”

“Ealdor lies beyond the Ridge of Essetir. For an army of Camelot to enter it would be an act of war.”

Hunith dropped to her knees as she begged, “I know you're a good King, a caring man. I'm begging you, help us, please!”

“The accord we've struck with Cenred was years in the making. I cannot risk hundreds of lives for the sake of one village. I'm afraid Camelot cannot help,” Uther said with finality.

Arthur noticed Merlin glaring at the King while Morgana went to Hunith’s side.  
He couldn’t believe it. Yes, going would be an act of war, but what kind of King, what kind of _Knight_ didn’t help those in need? 

How could their King- Cenred, right?- abandon his people in their time of need?  
Arthur had the feeling he was going to to something stupid and possibly treasonous by nightfall.  
It was just one of those days.

~~~~~  
“Merlin have you seen Morgana?” Arthur asked, walking into Gaius’ chambers. Only to find no Merlin in sight.

“Merlin’s already left with his mother, sire,” Gaius replied, mixing up something over a flame.

“Ah, right,” Arthur said, slouching slightly, “Would you happen to have seen Morgana, Gaius?”

“I saw her and Guinevere out the window, wearing traveling gear. I believe they followed after him.”

“What?” Arthur asked, stunned.  
“Why on earth would they follow after _Mer_ lin?” he yelled, heading towards the door.

Gaius rolled his eyes.

Arthur slammed the door, yelling, “Without me!”

Gaius couldn’t help it, he chuckled.

~~~~~  
It was late when Arthur finally found them. Well, he found Merlin first. There he was, holding a sword and somehow managing to be the least threatening thing Arthur had ever seen.  
He couldn’t help but play with his manservant a little.

He easily snuck up behind Merlin, and poked him in the back with his sword.

Merlin tensed.

“I’d ask you for money, but I know you don’t have any.”

“Arthur!” Merlin yelled, swinging the sword about as he turned to face his master.

Arthur thanked his reflexes as he ducked under Merlin’s wild swing.  
Arthur gave him one hell of a glare.  
“Put the sword down, Merlin. You look ridiculous,” Arthur said, stalking past him and ignoring that stupid grin he had.  
No, he wasn’t grinning back. Whatever gave you that idea?

~~~~~  
It was the next morning, and everyone was awake- except Merlin. Hunith had somehow convinced the other three to let him sleep.  
As they sat around the fire, Hunith got their attention.

“I wanted to talk to you three, before we reach Ealdor. Merlin and I… aren’t exactly well liked by everyone.”

Arthur’s brow furrowed as Morgana asked, “What do you mean?”

“It’s not like everyone hates us or anything, it’s just, well…” Hunith took a breath and said, “I’m unmarried.”

Arthur leaned back slightly, startled. Guinevere blushed faintly and Morgana took Hunith’s hand in her own.

“That can’t be easy,” Morgana said sympathetically, and glanced at the sleeping form of Merlin.

“It’s hard enough being unmarried, but it’s even harder for Merlin. Those around town who don’t know him well treat him terribly. I didn’t lie earlier,” Hunith said, turning to Arthur, “I always had to save him from trouble when he was younger, just running about and trying to make friends. That’s part of the reason why I sent him to Camelot. Get him away from those who only know him as ‘Hunith’s boy’. He really doesn’t fit in in Ealdor.”  
She paused, smiling.  
“I’m glad he made such good friends in Camelot. You’ll look after him for me, won’t you?”

“Of course we will!” Guinevere insisted. Arthur nodded.

“Oh! Don’t tell him I said anything, will you? It’ll only upset him.”

Morgana smiled, “Of course. Our lips are sealed.”

Arthur gazed into the fire, lost in thought. He vaguely noted that he had been doing a lot of thinking lately.

Guinevere woke up Merlin and they were soon packed up and on their way, with little help from Arthur.

~~~~~  
Things passed by in a blur. One moment Merlin was riding towards Ealdor, the next a bandit’s sword swung at his midsection. He was vaguely aware of Arthur and Morgana fighting off bandits somewhere to his left, but the sword in his face was a more pressing matter. Merlin carefully used magic to heat up the hilt of his enemy’s sword and took his advantage to cut the man down.

The fight ended, and Merlin was briefly reunited with his best friend Will- before Arthur called him away.  
After listening to Arthur give one of his inspiring speeches to the people of Ealdor, he finally was able to be alone with his friend, whose first impression of Arthur was… less than glamorous.

“...He knows what he's doing. You've got to trust him,” Merlin insisted, “Look, when I first met Arthur, I was exactly like you. I hated him. I thought he was pompous and arrogant.”

“Well, nothing's changed there, then,” Will said, back to Merlin as he straightened his father’s chain-mail, with was carefully displayed on a cross.

Merlin held back an annoyed groan as he said, “I came to respect him for what he stands for, what he does.

“Yeah, I know what he stands for; princes, kings, all men like him.”

“Will, don't bring what happened to your father into this,” he sighed.

Will turned around sharply, finally making eye contact with Merlin.  
“I'm not. Why are you defending him so much? You're just his _servant_.”

“He's also my _friend!_ ”

Will scoffed.  
“ ‘Friends’ don't lord it over one another”

“He isn't like that.”

“Really? Well, let's see who he sends in to battle to die first. I guarantee you, it won't be him.”

“I trust Arthur with my life.”

“Is that so? So he knows about your scaly little problem?”

“ _Will_ , don’t call it that. What if someone was listening?”

Will smirked, “Then they’d think you had a snake pest problem.”

“Oh, shut up,” Merlin sighed, brushing him off but smirking nonetheless.

After a brief moment, Will looked to the floor, saying “Look, face it, Merlin You're living a lie. Just like you were here. You are Arthur's servant, and nothing more. Otherwise you'd tell him the truth.”

“The last thing I need to do is come out about that. I’d rather my other secret be revealed. Besides, Arthur already met my… ‘scaly little problem,’ not knowing it was ‘mine’, and kept it a secret.”

Will blinked in disbelief, repeatedly.  
“He what?” he asked finally, jaw gaping.

“I had my reasons, and that’s the end of it. Just, please, don’t judge Arthur by his father.”

~~~~~  
The next time Will caught up with Merlin, Merlin was heading into the woods with an ax.  


“And where do you think you’re going with that? We both know you don’t need an axe to fell a tree. You’ll probably just hurt yourself with it.”

Merlin rolled his eyes and replied, “You know how much trouble that could get me into. Old Man Simmons still has a grudge against us. The way he was looking at me…”

“He never liked you in the first place,” Will brushed him off. "So, where’d your Master run off to? Or did you run away from him?”

“Will, why are you being like this,” Merlin said, dropping the axe and leaning against a tree.

“You know why.”

Merlin sighed, and said, “I didn’t want to leave. Mother made me, she was worried. When she found out you knew-”

“I’d never tell anyone-”

“I know that. But there’s also Old Man Simmons to think about, and my-” Merlin’s voice dropped to a whisper “-lack of control. Gaius is helping me.”

Will huffed.  
“You could take out Kanen and his bandits by yourself, control or no.”

“That is besides the point,” Merlin grabbed his axe and walked further into the trees.

“So what’s stopping you?” Will chased after him.

“Arthur!”

“You seem to trust him a lot. Why would you care if he knew?”

“I don’t expect you to understand-”

Will caught up with Merlin and grabbed his shoulder, turning him around.  
“Try me.”

Merlin squared his shoulders.  
“One day Arthur will be a great king, but he needs my help. And if anyone ever found out about my powers, I'd have to leave Camelot for good.”

Will stared at his friend, eyes wide.  
“...you'd rather keep your magic a secret for Arthur's sake than use it to protect your friends and family?”

“Will, I-”

“Save it.”

Merlin watched his friend’s retreating back, unsure of his decision. This was _Will_. His best friend. Would he really put Ealdor in jeopardy like- no. This wasn’t about Ealdor. Arthur, or Will? Destiny, or family?  
What if he did tell Arthur, tell Gwen and Morgana? Would they accept him? Or would they...  


Merlin shivered as Uther’s voice echoed in his head.  
_'...the crime of sorcery…'_  
Arthur looked up to his father, he would turn Merlin in in a snap.  
Gwen… she was nearly burnt because of him. What if she hated him for putting her through such an ordeal?  
Morgana… Merlin had no idea what she would do.  


_‘But what if they don’t turn me in?’_ he thought. 

Merlin shook his head. His fear of being found out overpowered his trust in his friends. He tightened his grip on the ax and got to work, unaware that he was being watched...


	4. The Moment of Truth end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, I'm supposed to put a disclaimer, right? None of these characters or the show are mine.

Merlin found Arthur sulking outside of his house, sharpening a sword. He had a pretty good idea why. He sat down next to the Prince.

“William's father was killed fighting for King Cenred, so he doesn't trust anyone of nobility.”

_Shiing_  
_Shiing_  
“Do you think the villagers agree with him?” Arthur asked, not looking up.

“No. He's always been a troublemaker,” Merlin smirked, “They're used to ignoring him”

_Shiing_  
“And if he's right?”  
_Shiing_

“He isn't.”

Arthur finally looked Merlin in the eye, exasperated.

“I'm treating then like soldiers, but they're not! You've seen them fight, they...they haven't got a clue! You need to tell them all to leave the village before Kanen returns,” he ranted.

“No, we're going to stay. We're going to fight, and we're going to win,” Merlin insisted.

Arthur rubbed the bridge of his nose.  
“Merlin, it can't be done. The odds are too great-”

“It can. We're going to make Kanen rue the day he came to this village. All you need to do is get the men ready for battle, and the rest will take care of itself!”

“If it doesn’t?” he scoffed.

“You've just got to believe in them. Because if you don't, they'll sense it, and the battle will be lost before it's even begun.”

Arthur looked away, he went back to sharpening his blade.  
_Shiing_  
“... I think I’m going to let the women fight,” Arthur admitted.

“Morgana get to you?” Merlin smiled.

“No, of course not. We just don’t have the numbers, and need every advantage we can get. This has nothing to do with her.”

“If you say so, _‘sire’_.”

“You’re obviously going to be no help anyway, so we need the women to fight.”

“No help?! Please, didn’t you see how I-”

“-was too busy hiding like the wimp you are yesterday?” Arthur smirked.

“I took out two bandits!”

“If you say so, _Mer_ lin.”

“Prat.”

“You need to think of better insults. ‘Prat’ is getting old.”

“ _Royal_ Prat.”

“Oi!”

~~~~~  
Kanen would return tomorrow, and Merlin had just finished up some last-minute preparations. He quickly walked back to his home in the dark, a little on edge. It was late, his Mother and the girls were probably worried. He could hear Arthur trying to convince them ‘that idiot’ was always late anyway.

An arm came out of nowhere and grabbed Merlin, making him jump. The figure pinned Merlin against a wall, their arm held against his neck and restricting his breathing.  
“What were you doing skulking around, _boy_ ,” the figure rasped in a gravely, deep voice.

“Nothing!” Merlin gasped.

“Don’t lie to me boy.”

“Mr. Simmons, I wasn’t-”

Mr. Simmons pressed in forearm harder on Merlin’s neck.  
“I know you’re up to something. Do you think I’m stupid? That I didn’t see you with slits for eyes when you knocked over that tree?”

Merlin’s eyes widened as he struggled to breathe.

“I know what you are, _sorcerer_. You ran out of here with your tail between your legs. I’ll never figure out why you choose to go to Camelot, but you made the most of it, didn’t you boy? Enchanting their Prince and the King’s Ward. If your father was like you, no wonder Hunith never got married and raised you a _bastard_.”

The next thing Merlin knew, Old Man Simmons was thrown to the ground by a blond and red shape.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Arthur yelled, picking up Simmons by his shirt collar.

“Putting that bastard in his pla-” Simmons tried to reply, but was cut off sharply by a fist to the side of his head.

Arthur dropped the man and hurried over to Merlin’s side, who has slid down the wall and was massaging his throat.  
“You alright, Merlin?”

“ ‘m fine,” he croaked, “I’ve had worse.”

Arthur got a peculiar look on his face, one Merlin had trouble figuring out. 

“C’mon, lets get you back. We’ll need sleep if we want any hope of winning tomorrow,” Arthur said, dragging Merlin to his feet.  
They walked in silence for a while, the only sounds being the occasional owl cry and Merlin’s heavy breathing.

“Arthur, did you…” Merlin trailed off.

“Did I what, Merlin?”

“... did you hear what Old Man Si- he said?”

“Your mother already told us of her marital status, if that’s what you’re worried about,” he replied matter-of-factly.

Merlin breathed a sigh of relief; Arthur didn’t hear Simmons call him a sorcerer.  
“Do me a favor, would you? Don’t tell the girls about the, ah, attack, okay? Don’t want them to worry,” he said, shifting his neckerchief.

Arthur chuckled.

~~~~~  
The trap was set. Kanen and his men galloped into Ealdor, not a villager in sight. Gwen’s team quickly blocked the north entrance, but the south- Morgana’s side- remained unblocked.

“What’s taking them so long?” Arthur huffed from his hiding spot.

“Something gone wrong-” Merlin ran out of cover, ignoring Arthur’s warning. He was quickly spotted by the enemy, barely dodging a crossbow bolt aimed at him head. He ducked behind a house to find Morgana struggling to light a fire.

“Give me the flints!”  
Merlin struck the rocks together a couple times, before giving up and- making sure Morgana wasn’t looking- breathed fire onto the logs.  
The dragon fire quickly spread, covering the bandit’s way out and trapping them in a small section of Ealdor.

“Now!” Merlin heard Arthur yell, and the entire town came out of hiding with whatever weapons they could find, dragging the bandits off their horses. He quickly leaped into the fight.  
Merlin took out three men, with Will covering his back.

“There’s too many of them!” Will yelled, striking down another.

A quick scan of his surroundings, watching his friends struggling, was all he needed. Squaring his shoulders, Merlin said, “Not for me, there isn’t.”  
A quick glance to make sure Arthur wasn’t looking, and- “ _Cume thoden._ ”

A tornado slowly forms under Merlin’s command, making it impossible for the bandit’s to stay in there horses and flinging many of them into the woods, yet barely tossing the hair of the villagers as it passed.

The bandits scattered, retreating into the forest, except for one.

“Pendragon!” Kanen yelled, aiming his ax at Arthur’s head. Merlin spun around, watching the fight to make sure Arthur didn’t need his help. Arthur nearly got knocked over a couple of times, but Merlin needn’t have worried. Arthur stabbed Kanen right through.

Pulling his sword out of Kanen, Arthur turned to Merlin and Will, asking, “Who did that?”

“What?”

“Wind like that doesn’t just appear from nowhere. I know magic when I see it.”

Merlin felt his pulse quicken as Arthur looked him in the eyes.

“One of you made it happen,” he accused, turning his gaze towards Will.

“Arthur-” Merlin started. He shivered as Arthur’s face lit up with disbelief.  
It only lasted a moment.

“Look out!” Will shoved Arthur out of the way, and was shot in the chest by a cross bolt.

“Will!” Merlin yelled, catching him in his arms as the man who shot Will was felled.

“You saved me,” Arthur said, brows furrowed. 

“Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking,” Will groaned. More men came to his side and Will was taken under cover.

“That’s twice I saved you,” Will said, looking at Arthur.

“Twice?”

“It was me. I’m the one that used the magic.”

Merlin nearly forgot to breathe.  
“Will, don’t-”

“It’s alright Merlin, I won’t be alive long enough for anyone to burn me or something,” he said, breathing heavily.

Merlin was vaguely aware of Arthur staring at him, but he didn’t care.

“I did it,” Will confirmed again, “I saw how desperate things were- I had to do something.”  
Will looked at Arthur and laughed.  
“What are you going to do, kill me?” he gestured to the arrow in his chest, near his heart.

“...No. Of course not,” Arthur said quietly. Finally Merlin returned his gaze.   
“Do what you can for him.”   
Arthur lead the others out, leaving Merlin and Will alone.

~~~~~  
They built a funeral pyre for Will, and burned him that afternoon. Merlin was feeling all sorts of things, not sure what he should think as his best friend, the oldest friend he had burned.

Arthur stood by his side.   
“I'm sorry. I know he was a close friend.”

“Still is.” Merlin mumbled in reply.

“You knew he was a sorcerer, didn't you?” he asked, staring into the flames.

Merlin scoffed. _‘Perfect timing, Arthur.’_ he thought sarcastically.

“You shouldn't have kept this from me, Mer-.”

“Should have known it was Will,” said Old Man Simmons, stalking over to them, “Knew the little trouble maker would get himself killed one day, just didn’t know it would be ‘cuz he had magi-”

Arthur punched him in the face, throwing Simmons back a few feet. Simmons didn’t get up, unconscious.

“Bloody arse,” Arthur said, shaking out his hand.

Merlin chuckled.  
“Will would have loved to see that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More dragon next time.  
> EDIT: I re-wrote the next chapter with him like 7 times.... vers. 8 should be out soon :)


	5. Wow, it happened again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after "Le Morte d'Arthur"

Merlin burst into Arthur’s chambers, arms full of armor he had recently polished.

“Ah, Merlin. Good, we’re going on patrol this evening. We’ll be out late, probably end up having to set camp- so gather the supplies would you?”

Merlin huffed, dropping Arthur’s armor on the table.  
“You couldn’t have told me about this earlier?”

“I didn’t know we were going earlier.”

“Would you like me to-”

“Now, Merlin,” Arthur commanded.  
Merlin made a mocking face at Arthur as he walked back out.  
“Make it fast, would you?” Arthur yelled as the door closed.

Merlin was so busy grumbling about ‘that royal arse’ that he nearly collided with another person in the hall.

“You should pay more attention to where you’re going, Merlin,” Morgana said, the ghost of a laugh in her smile.

“Sorry, in a bit of a hurry,” he smiled in response.

“What’s Arthur have you doing now?”

“Preparing for a last minute patrol.”

Morgana’s brow furrowed.  
“Really? I don’t recall Uther ordering him to go on patrol.”

Merlin shrugged, “Who am I to question the Prince?”  
He began walking again.

“May I walk with you, Merlin?” she asks sweetly.

“As you wish,” Merlin smirked, bowing.

“Please Merlin, you know you don’t have to bow to me,” she laughed.  
“I was wondering if I could ask you a question?”

“Anything.”

“I meant to ask you while in Ealdor, but the battle drove all other thoughts from my mind,”  
Merlin quirked an eyebrow at her.  
“I was wondering if you knew about the child born with the Pendragon crest in Cenred’s kingdom?”

He nearly tripped over his own feet. She didn’t know, did she?  
“Ah, I’ve heard the rumors, sure. N-no idea if they are true or not,” he replied.

“Oh well, you can’t help not knowing. I was just curious. I’m surprised Arthur hasn’t asked you.”

“Why would Arthur care?” he asked, as they turned a corner.

“Well it does involve his crest after all. And… he’ll kill me for telling you, but when Arthur was younger he liked to pretend he knew the child, that it was his best friend. I caught him talking to his imaginary friend on multiple occasions.”

Merlin snorted, imagining Arthur’s reaction to learning that his imaginary friend was sort of his real friend.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it. Don’t hesitate to come to me if Arthur works you to hard.”

“He’s not that bad, really,” Merlin admitted.

Morgana shook her head at him as she turned away.

~~~~~  
Arthur and Merlin took off on horseback, patrolling the northern roads of Camelot’s reach.  
“What are we looking for?” Merlin asked from Arthur’s right.

After a moment’s hesitation, he replied, “Sorcerers.”

“Sorcerers. As in, more than one?”

“Yes.”

“Where were they spotted?”

“Around this general area.”

“You have no idea what we’re looking for do you?” Merlin asked incredulously.

“Shut up, Merlin.”

~~~~~  
They made camp as the sun began to set, Merlin doing most of the work while Arthur lazed about. He claimed to be on guard duty, but Merlin knew better.  
The light had finally gone down as they sat around the fire to eat a stew Merlin prepared.

“I still can’t believe you didn’t ask me to go with you to Ealdor,” Arthur said, in mock anger.

“I planned on going alone,” Merlin sputtered, “But Morgana and Gwen insisted on coming, and then-”

“You couldn’t have just popped in?” Arthur teased.

Merlin threw his hands up.  
“I was a little distracted!”

Arthur opened his mouth to reply, but Merlin cut him off.  
“What are we doing out here?”

“We’re hunting sorcerers,” Arthur stated the obvious.

Merlin didn’t believe him, so he kept pressing.  
“Then how come there’s only two of us?”

“We’re not supposed to fight them if we find them, just alert the knights of their general position."

“Did they really need to send the _Prince_ on a scouting job?”

“Oh, shut up, Merlin-” Arthur threw a nearby rock at him, which Merlin dodged- “I just wanted to get out of the castle for a while, alright? Everyone has been treating me like I’m glass since I got bitten by the Questing Beast,” he exclaimed, exasperated.

“I’d never treat you like glass,” Merlin shrugged.

“Why do you think I took you with me?”

“Because you’re incompetent?”

Arthur threw another rock.

“Do you hear that?” Merlin asked suddenly, sitting up straight.

“Hear what-”

Merlin shushed Arthur, who reluctantly went silent. The duo sat there, listening.

Suddenly men burst out from all edges of the clearing, surrounding them.  
Arthur drew his sword and attempted to fend off the attackers, but he was only one against a whole group; Camelot warriors may be known as the best, yet they could not handle this many alone.  
Sure, Merlin was there, but Arthur never counted him anyway. He wasn’t much of a help in battle; Arthur counted him as a civilian. 

He quickly lost sight of Merlin in all the chaos of battle. He raised his sword to strike-  
And realized he couldn’t move.

As Arthur’s sword was taken from his hand, he thought, ‘There are _actually_ sorcerers out here. _Just my luck_.’

Merlin was nowhere to be seen.  
Arthur’s eyes darted around the area looking for him.

“Where did the other one go?” asked a robed figure.

“He can’t have gone far,” replied another.

A third one, who was standing right in front of Arthur, waved them off.  
“He doesn’t matter, let him run. It was just a servant.”

Arthur’s blood boiled. How dare they talk of Merlin like that! He was glaring at their captors, trying to struggle against the magic but having no success.

“What are we going to do with him? Sell him?”

“It would be much more satisfying to take care of the Prince ourselves.”

“Let’s send him to his father in pieces!”

Arthur tried to think of any way to get out of this, but he could not escape his magical bonds, and even if he could he would not make it out alive.  
Unless…

A loud _roar_ filled the air, making all but Arthur jump. He smirked, much to his captor’s confusion.  
The men scattered, the dragon chasing some, scaring them off with it’s breath. It circled around and landed at the edge of the clearing, facing the three sorcerers who remained.

“ _Inalgesco!_ ” one of them yelled, hand outstretched towards the dragon. It simply bounced of the dragon’s hide and hit a tree, freezing it on impact.

“Really? A simple ice spell?” the Dragon said, shaking its head, “How insulting.”

“What do you want?” he yelled, shaking in his boots.

“Let him go.”

The sorcerers gasped as Arthur held back a laugh.  
“You- I- _what?_ ”

“Let him go,” the Dragon insisted, “I mean, can you not see the Pendragon symbol on my chest?”

“Why would I- Why would _you_ serve the Pendragons? They slaughtered your kind just as they slaughter mine! You should want revenge!”

The Dragon shrugged.  
“I have my reasons. Now could you let the Prince go, or do I have to hurt you?”

The sorcerer stuttered, and Arthur called out to the Dragon.

“By all means, take your time,” he said, “It’s not like I have anything better to do that stand here, captured.”

The Dragon rolled it’s eyes.  
“Hold on,” it replied, and simply flung the three sorcerers into the air with its wing. They flew off somewhere into the forest, the Dragon watching their descent.  
“They’ll be fine. Mostly,” he assured Arthur, who now found he could move again. 

Arthur lowered his arms from their odd position, streching.

“My King,” the Dragon bowed.

“Dragon Lord,” Arthur replied.

If the dragon had eyebrows, it would have raised them.  
“How did you know that?” it asked.

“I read it in a book.”

“Uther burned all such books years ago. How did you come across one?"

“I have my ways. You’re quite short for a dragon.”

It bristled, glaring at Arthur.  
“I’ll have you know I am fifteen feet tall, which is much bigger than you are.”

Arthur ignored the comment.  
“Will you tell me who you are, Dragon Lord?”  
The Dragon glared at him one more time, before flying up into the air.  
“At least tell me your name!” Arthur called, as the Dragon was soon lost from his sight. 

“Bloody great flying lizard…” he mumbled, retrieving his sword.

“It still hasn’t eaten you, then? Shame,” said a voice. 

Arthur turned to find Merlin walking towards him.  
“Where the hell were you, Merlin?” Arthur asked, as Merlin casualty returned to his seat by the fire.

“Running from evil sorcerers, watching as you were captured, and hiding from the dragon who of _course_ showed up again,” He shrugged, as Arthur sat across from him, “That’s what, the seventh time that Dragon saved you from certain peril? Speaking of, you escape death or capture so often it’s ridiculous.”

“The Dragon has shown up ten times, actually.”

“Ten?”

“You weren’t there every time.”

“You should bring your knights along more, then you wouldn’t need to be saved so often.”

“I can take care of myself, Merlin.”

“Of course you can, _Sire_.”

Arthur wondered how on earth Merlin always managed to make that title sound so insulting.

There was a lull in conversation, the only sound coming from the fire and the surrounding forest.

Merlin gazed into the fire.  
“Why haven’t you told anyone about it, anyway?”

“Have you?”

“Of course not.”

Arthur sighed, resting his arm on his knee.

“...I don’t know.,” he admitted after awhile, “I just can’t turn in something- _someone_ who has save my life, multiple times. It would be against my code of honor.”

“Isn’t lying to your father against the law, though?”

He shrugged in reply. “It wouldn't be the first time.” 

He glanced at Merlin, who had that look on his face again. He looked like Arthur had given him a month off. 

_What on earth did I say to make Merlin look towards me like that? _  
“...It’s getting late, Merlin. You should sleep. I’ll keep watch.”__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This feels rushed... I don't know. Somewhere in S2 next time, starting with s2e3 or somewhere in the middle; Not every senario needs dragon intervention.


	6. The Nightmare Begins part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry my computer died on me, I'm borrowing a friends to post this. It's short I know, but I wanted to update something. It should be longer next time, I'm going to try at least. Morgana pov.

_Blue light flashes through rain covered windows._  
_Candle Lights flicker to life in the darkness, lit by unseen hands._  
_Pale white hands shift against soft silk and cotton, restless._  
_Black hair knots itself as its owner worries in her sleep._  
_A scream loud as a banshee’s echoes through the corridors; Crystal shatters as the dim black world burns orange and red._

~~~~~  
Morgana rushed to Gaius’s chambers, faster than a woman of her status was supposed to. 

She _had_ to talk to him, she’s _not_ crazy; Gaius wouldn't lie to her, and yet... she needed more proof. Proof that he was right and that she really didn't have magic.  
With a flurry of silk, she entered Gaius’s chambers to find no one but Merlin.

“Is Gaius here?” she asked, knowing it was a pointless question but it would be rude not to ask.

Merlin smiled apologetically.  
“Er, no, he’s not here at....”

Morgana zoned out, missing the end of Merlin's sentence. She needed to talk to Gaius, to _someone-_  
“When will he be back?”

“The King asked for him. What’s wrong? You know you can trust me, Morgana.”

She opened her mouth, closed it, and admitted, “I'm _scared_ , Merlin. I don't understand anything anymore. I need to know what's happening. _Please_.”  
She begged him with her eyes, wide and glistening.

“Gaius will be back soon. He'll be able to help you,” he assured her.

“He won't. He _can’t_ -” she laughed, nearing hysteria, “- Why did I even come here! I don't any more remedies. They won't do any good. It's- it’s- it’s magic, Merlin. I- I- it’s _magic_."

Merlin’s eyes widened, processing what she said.  
He blinked a couple of times, before saying, “What?”

“I’m your friend, you know I wouldn’t make this up,” she insisted, barely holding back her arms from gesturing in her stress.

“Of course,” Merlin nodded, completely serious.

“Then you believe me? You think it's magic too! Please, Merlin, I just need to hear someone- someone _say it_ so I don't have to keep feeling like I'm imagining it. Like- like I’m not crazy!"  
She looked him in the eyes, pleading, hoping for something to make her feel better.

There was something strange in his gaze- like he wanted to say something, wanted to help, like there was something on the tip of his tongue he was chewing on, almost afraid-

“I really wish there was something I could say.”

Morgana stared at him.  
She scoffed, breaking eye contact and simply walking out of the room.

He knew something, but the fact that he would rather she suffer than tell her what he was hiding-  
Maybe he wasn’t the person she thought he was.

~~~~~  
Morgana brushed out her hair, finally alone in her room.  
Her eyes held back tears that threatened to spill all day, having to spend time with her magic-hating King and fool of a Prince. They had no idea what was wrong with her, and why should they? They thought she was scared of assassins-

If only it were that simple.

A light knock on the door brought her away from her reflection. She put the brush down and walked over to the door.  
Oh. It’s Merlin. Perfect.

“Gaius asked me to deliver this,” Merlin said with a monotone voice. He held out a bottle of her sleeping potion.

“I don't need any potion, thank you,” she said coolly.  
They awkwardly avoided eye contact.  
“Merlin?” she said, finally meeting his eyes, “Ignore what I said last night. I had a nightmare, I was upset.”

“I know. I haven't said anything to anyone,” he promised.

She blinked away tears, and said, “I'm sorry. It's usually Gwen that has to deal with me when I'm like this-” she walked towards her bed.

“I don’t mind,” he assured her, and she paused where she stood, “Maybe I could help.”

She shook her head slightly.  
“I doubt that.”

“You’d be surprised,” he closed the door.

Morgana turned around.  
He had that look on his face again, the one from last night-

“I understand,” he breathed, too scared to look her in the eyes, “I realize how frightening all this must be for you. Especially for you.”

“Why especially for me?” she asked, hope filling her chest.

“You're the King's ward. You know his hatred of magic better than anyone,” he said hurriedly.

Morgana gasped, “That's what you think has been happening to me? The dreams. The fire. You think it was magic?!”

“I’m not saying that!”

“But it could be, couldn’t it?”

“I really wouldn’t know,” he insisted, “...but there are people who do.” 

“Who?” she half ordered, half begged.

Merlin took a deep breath.  
“Look,” he said, “There’s this… ally of Arthur’s. He’ll be able to help you.”

“Arthur has allies of magic?” Morgana gasped, disbelief evident on her face.

“Not exactly.”

“How do I find this person?”

“He’ll get in touch with you.”

“How will I know it’s him?”

“Trust me, Morgana,” he said, finally looking her in the eyes, “You’ll know.”

~~~~~  
Morgana couldn’t sleep. She was scared of her dreams, scared of her… magic.  
She couldn’t help but dwell on the strange person Merlin spoke of. Who would Arthur-?

_Morgana._

Morgana jumped. She looked around her room, but…  


There was no one there.  
Had she imagined it?

_Morgana._

She heard it again. Was this a dream?

_Come find me, Morgana._

Not entirely sure why, Morgana bundled herself in her traveling coat and quietly walked out of her room.

~~~~~  
Morgana found herself in a clearing in the forest surrounding Camelot.  
It hadn’t taken her very long to get out of the castle- it was surprising how easy it was to sneak out past all the guards. She needed to talk to the King about the lack of security, but tonight, she couldn’t help but be thankful.

There was a rush of wind from above, and a Dragon flew into the clearing.  
Morgana cowered, tripping over her own feet and falling backwards.  


“Do not be frightened, Lady Morgana,” said the Dragon, in a familiar voice, “I mean you no harm.”

“Are you the one I was meant to seek? You can help me?”

The dragon smilled.  
“Does the crest not assure you of my intent?”

“You serve Uther, then?”

“I serve _Arthur_ ,” said the beast, nearly growling, “Uther will _never_ have my allegiance.”

Morgana slowly rose up from the forest floor.  
“Why do you serve one such as Arthur? He hates magic and everything to do with it.”

“Now _that_ is a long story. But now is not the time. We have a ways to go, my Lady, to find the answers you seek. Are you sure you wish to leave Camelot?”

Morgana looked over her shoulder, back towards the city.

“I’m sure.”

The Dragon bowed its head.  
“We need to travel fast. Climb upon my back.” 

Morgana took a step forward, and hesitated.

“I assure you, it’s perfectly safe,” said the dragon, “I don’t bite.”  
Morgana huffed, and settled behind its shoulder blades.  
“Hold on,” it said, and took of into the sky.

~~~~~  
Emrys chucked to himself as Morgana whooped, clearly enjoying flight. He stayed on his course, but was a little distracted. 

In Dragon form, he had much better sense of smell than in human form. And Morgana… Morgana smelled like Arthur in the way he smelled like his mother and father…  
Oh, no.

~~~~~  
Aglain was expecting them. Emrys called ahead, so he was not shocked when a dragon came out of the sky.  
The other druids were surprised, but not scared.

Morgana slipped off of the Dragon’s back gracefully, yet she was quite tired. She leaned against the dragon, eyes closed.  
A small group of Druid children came to her side, and lead her into a big tent near the center of the camp.

“Lord Emrys,” Aglain bowed, “What brings you here, with such a person as the King’s ward?”

“She needs your help, help that I unfortunately cannot give. Do you not sense it?”

“How could one not. She’s dripping with magic.”

"Can you help her?” the Dragon begged.

“I could not refuse you, my Lord. I will do as you ask.”

Emrys bowed.  
“Thank you,” he rustled his wings.

“Can you not stay?”

“I’m needed by the Once and Future King’s side. I wish I could stay.”

Emrys entered the tent Morgana had been lead to, ducking under the flaps. The tent was just big enough to fit two of him, only if he kept his wings closed and his head down.

“Morgana,” he said, at the form laying on blankets on the floor, “I-”

“Please, stay.”

Emrys looked off towards the direction of Camelot, thinking of how mad Arthur was going to be in the morning.

“Please,” she whispered, somewhere between sleep and awake.

He looked to his frightened, defenseless friend. He sighed, mind made up. He curled up beside her, covering her with his wing protectively.  
She huffed contentedly in her sleep.

~~~~~  
Emrys stood at the edge of the camp, on guard.  
Morgana was sitting with Aglain, talking. They had talked of magic and of Camelot’s laws and past, but there was something else Morgana wanted to know.

“...The Dragon, what do you know of it?”

“Lord Emrys?”

“Is that his name?” she asked, watching him.

“He hasn’t told you?”

“I only met him last night.”

Aglain nodded.  
“That makes sense, Emrys is very secretive. He exists in the shadows, rarely walking in the light. Truth be told, this is the first time I’ve ever seen him.”

“Oh...” she said, then, “I didn’t know Dragons could talk.”

“Dragons can learn to speak all languages, and yet Emrys is a special case. I’d guess in his age he’s only learned three.”

“What’s so different about him? Besides the Camelot Crest on his chest,” she chuckled.

“He’s not a full Dragon. Emrys is a Dragonlord, a human with the power to control dragons and take on dragon form.”

“He’s human?” Morgana said, looking over towards Emrys again, “Why does he stay in that form then?”

“He has to,” Aglain said sincerely, “Like I said, he lives in the shadows. Emrys can not protect the Once and Future King if he’s executed by Uther.”

“I highly doubt anyone here would turn him in,” Morgana scoffed.

“My Lady, it is better to be safe than sorry. The future of Albion rests on his shoulders. Emrys and the Once and Future King are destined to bring magic back to the land and unite Albion under one flag. They are to sides of the same coin, one cannot succeed without the other.”

“...And the Once and Future King… you think it’s Arthur?”

“We believe he is, as do many others. Some are skeptical, after all, he is the son of Uther Pendragon. But the birth of Emrys is proof. He would not have been conceived if Arthur was never born.”

“What?”

“That is a complicated tale, let us talk of it another time. There’s someone who wants to see you.”

~~~~~  
Emrys watched Morgana as she was reunited with Mordred.  
He couldn’t help it, he didn’t trust Mordred.  
Yet he was just a child, Emrys wished he wasn’t so worried. Besides, it was clear as they embraced, Mordred would never hurt Morgana.

“Esscuse me, Lord Emrys?” said a small voice.

He looked down; there was a young girl, no older than five standing by his leg.  
He laid down so he could be at her eye level.

“Is there something you need?”

She opened her mouth, and closed it, looking a bit like a fish.  
“Iduno,” she admitted, “I jus came to say hai. Hai!”

Emrys chuckled, “Hello. What’s your name?”

“Amelia,” she smiled, “Can I touch your wing?”  
Amelia had those huge, wide eyes all children had.  
Emrys was weak to such eyes.

“Oh alright,” he said, extending his wing.

“Wow…” she smiled, rubbing his scales.

Emrys was afraid he’d never want to leave this place.


	7. The Nightmare Begins end... is it Really a Nighmare?

Emrys smiled at Morgana- she looked lovely in a druid’s cloak; she looked happy, like she belonged.

“You shouldn’t stay for much longer, Lord Emrys,” Aglain said, coming up from behind, “Who knows when Arthur will need your help.”

Emrys sighed.  
“I know. But I don’t want to leave her here, alone.”

“She’s not alone.”

“I know. And yet…”  
Emrys perked up to full height.  
“Ssh!”  
He concentrated. There were ten- twenty- _dozens_ of men headed their way. It was a hunting party- they were from Camelot.

Arthur was among them.

“Emrys, is there something wrong?” Aglain asked.

“It’s- wait…”

Arthur was arguing with Leon. He couldn’t tell what they were saying. Though it was obvious that Arthur ordered him to do something.  
Arthur then headed away from the party, towards the camp… by himself.

“...Arthur is on his way here. There is a hunting party- but they’re far. Arthur comes alone.”

“What should we do?” Morgana said.  
Emrys hadn’t noticed her come over.

“Let him come.”

“What?” Morgana exclaimed, clearly frightened.

“Are you sure about this, my Lord?”

“Yes. This is the perfect opportunity! Aglain, tell everyone to act normally. Treat him like any random passer-by. This will be Arthur’s first time seeing Druids as people, not evil corrupted monsters like his father taught him. Trust me- trust in him, that he will see sense.”

Aglain rubbed his temples with one hand. After a very pregnant pause, he said, “If anything goes wrong, will you protect us?”

“I promise,” Emrys bowed, “ _Et commuta habitum_ ,” he said, and disappeared from their eyes.

~~~~~  
The forest was dense, the trees closely packed. No wonder the patrols had never found this Druid camp before.  
Arthur grabbed the hilt of his sword. He looked over his shoulder. Was it right, to come alone? Is it safe?  
He let go. Looking threatening was not the way he wanted to do this.

He came into view of the camp. Hesitating just a moment, he walked forwards.

There were a lot of Druids; it was a big camp. People mostly ignored him, continuing on like someone wearing the symbol of a man who wants them dead wasn’t in their midst.

It was so… normal. People were cooking, doing chores. Children were playing, laughing. Yet there was magic, subtle yet all around. A pot was stirring itself over a fire. Clothes hung themselves on a line. Children tossed a ball to each other without using their hands, eyes flashing gold.

As Arthur watched, one of the children failed to catch the ball, and it bounced towards him. He caught it on impulse, noticing the druid symbol carved into it and having the sudden desire to drop it immediately.

A twig snapped.

Arthur looked up to see a young girl, the one who had missed the ball. She was staring right back at him, unsure of what to do.

“Amelia!” cried one of the other kids. She just held Arthur’s gaze.

Slowly, Arthur bent over and rolled the ball to her.

She smiled, as bright as the sun.

Her smile was contagious; Arthur grinned back.

Amelia quickly bowed, then sprinted back to her friends.

“Arthur!”

He turned around. Morgana was walking towards him, wearing a Druid cloak.

“Morgana!” he cried out in relief. He nearly sprinted to her side, but stopped himself. He wasn’t a girl like Merlin.  
“You’re safe!”

“Safe?” she asked, reaching his side.

“The King think’s you’ve been kidnapped. He sent me out with a patrol- Morgana they’re not holding you against your will, are they?”

“No, of course not!” she assured him, “The druids are a peaceful people. They would never do such a thing. I came here on my own.”

Eyeing her cloak, he asked, “Morgana, why would you do that?”

She avoided his gaze.  
“I- I wanted to prove that I- that they- it doesn’t matter. I wanted out of the castle.”

Arthur could tell what she meant. She was having second thoughts about the evils of magic.  
Arthur opened his mouth, and closed it again.

“Come back with me Morgana. If you don’t, my m… the King’s soldiers will attack everyone here without a second thought. Uther chose these men personally, they barely listen to a word I say. Please, Morgana. We have to go.”

Morgana gazed around, longing evident on her face. “It’s so simple here…” she sighed.

“... I should return this cloak.”

~~~~~  
Emrys watched as Arthur and Morgana left. He needed to head back as well, before Arthur made it to Camelot.

_Goodbye, Lady Morgana._

Morgana turned towards him, where he was hidden from view, yet knowing exactly where his eyes were.

_Goodbye, Emrys._

~~~~~  
Horse hooves clattered against cobblestone, echoing around the walls.

Morgana slid of her horse into Uther’s arms. He held her tight, breathing out, “I was so, so worried about you.”

Morgana held a blank face, not sure what to feel.

“...You were right, Father,” said Arthur, making eye contact with Morgana, “It was the Druids, they kidnapped her."

Morgana gave Arthur the slightest of nods as Uther pulled her closer.

~~~~~  
It was early morning. Morgana stared at a spot of sunlight on the wall, not wanting to get up. She was back; back in her warm bed, surrounded by walls, near her friends. 

She’d never felt so trapped.

There was a knock on the door.

Not wanting to be impolite, she quickly got up and opened the door.  
“Merlin,” she said, partially relieved it was no one else.

“My Lady.”

She let him in, quickly closing the door.  
There was an awkward pause, what the two of them wanted to talk about hanging in the air unsaid.

“I wanted to check you were okay,” Merlin said finally.

Morgana nodded politely, “I’m fine.”

There was an even longer pause.  
“What we talked about before-”

“I won’t mention it to anyone.”

“I know. Thank you, Merlin,” she smiled, “I know now who I really am. And it isn't something to be scared of. Maybe one day people will come to see magic as a force for good.”  
They smiled at each other, Morgana laughing slightly at the realization of what she just admitted to.

“Er… It’s good to have you back, Morgana,” he glanced towards the door, “...Wish I could have gone with you.”

“Thank you, Merlin. I wish the same. It was… amazing.”

“Maybe next time, then?”

Morgana scoffed. “Merlin, how could I-”

“Our friend could always take you back, maybe not for as long.”

Morgana’s eyes brightened.  
“I hope he can,” she sighed happily.  
“Oh, you should go, Arthur probably needs you.”

“Of course. Goodbye, Morgana.”

“Goodbye, Merlin.”

~~~~~  
Merlin was still smiling as he walked down the stairs towards Arthur’s chambers.

“This has to stop,” said a voice from behind him.

Merlin nearly jumped, Arthur was standing in the alcove under the stairs.  
“The King would have your head if he found out, and there's no point denying it.”

Merlin wasn’t sure, but he had an idea where Arthur was going with this.  
“... Denying what?”

“Your affections for the Lady Morgana,” Arthur said seriously.

“...Right,” Merlin chuckled.

“Merlin I’m serious. You know how things are. You can’t be her friend… let alone anything else.” Arthur had looked to the floor when he said the word friend.

“...Yeah, I know.”

There was a very short pause. Arthur grabbed Merlin’s shoulder.  
“You can’t hide anything from me, Merlin,” Arthur smiled.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he smirked reassuringly back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo~  
> Two chapters in one day. :)


	8. Wildflower

Merlin threw open the blinds to Arthur’s window, yelling, “Time to get up, Sire!”

Arthur groaned.  
“What the hell, Merlin?”

“Come on, you lazy Prince! You’ve got training with the knights in half an hour, and after that you’ve got a meeting with-”  
Merlin was sharply cut off by an incoming pillow.  
“Oh, don’t be like that, Arthur! I actually woke you up on time today! Would you rather I be late?”

“Shut up, Merlin.”

“Up you get, I’ve got your armor all polished and ready.”

“You didn’t forget my gauntlets this time, did you?” Arthur asked, sitting up.

“Of course not!” Merlin said, then glanced at the pile to make sure.

“Did you just check?”

Merlin scoffed, “No.”

“Whatever you say,” Arthur rolled his eyes, “Come on then.”  
As Merlin helped Arthur into his armor, Merlin babbled away about silly town gossip.  
“Did you know Sir Gregory broke off his engagement with Lady Lucinda?”

“Really?”

“Yeah, only he didn’t exactly do it face to face. Sir Gregory wrote her a note-”

Arthur cringed.  
“That's rude.”

“It gets worse. You see he wrote her a very short ‘It’s over’ note, and asked Sir David to take it to her, a week before the wedding.”

Arthur snorted.  
“I thought my knights knew better than _that_.”

“Threw a right fit, Lady Lucinda did.”

~~~~~  
King Uther was walking down the corridor towards his son’s room. He had something he wanted to talk to Arthur about, before Arthur went to train his knights that morning.  
As he walked closer, Uther heard the unmistakable sound of laughter.  
His son’s laughter.  
Eyebrow raised, he stopped before Arthur’s door, wondering what or who made his son so expressive...

~~~~~  
“...and then the pigs went and-” Merlin said, laughing as Arthur turned pink in the face on the floor.

The door slammed open.  
Both boys quickly looked towards the door.

The King was standing there, a stony expression on his face. Arthur stood up in the blink of an eye, as Merlin straightened his posture and tried not to look terrified.  
There was a very pregnant pause.

“...You’re dismissed, servant,” said Uther finally, taking a few steps forward into the room.

Merlin bowed, then bolted out the door, closing it behind him.

~~~~~  
Merlin clung to the wall by Arthur’s room for dear life, back turned towards the wall. What on earth had he done? What had Arthur done?

“Merlin?” asked a voice.

Gwen had come down the hall without him noticing, a basket of laundry in her hands with a bouquet of flowers balanced on top.  
“Are you alright? What’s wrong?” She asked, walking over to him.  
“What’s Arthur done now?” she smiled.

Merlin open his mouth to respond, but didn’t get a chance to reply.  
Uther’s voice would have drowned him out anyway.

_“ **What on Earth were you thinking, Arthur?!** ”_

Merlin cringed as Gwen’s eyes widened and she dropped the basket, spilling its contents all over the floor.

_“Father, I-”_

Merlin quickly helped Gwen pick up the laundry.

_“ **I thought you would have grown out of this by now. You are the Crown Prince, not some random Lord. You can not be seen laughing and being friends with servants. It’s bad enough you joke around with the knights. You are above them, Arthur. A King doesn’t have friends, he leads and he commands because no one is on his level. The people must see you as untouchable, as strong as a rock. Pendragons do not show their true emotions to anyone, ever. I’m ashamed, Boy. I ought to have that** servant **flogged.** ”_

_“I’m sorry, Father. It won’t happen again.”_

_“ **It better not.** ”_

Merlin dragged Gwen into a nearby alcove as they heard footsteps. Uther opened the door and stormed out, controlling his pace by the time he turned the corner. All thoughts of what he wanted to talk to Arthur about were forgotten.

Gwen and Merlin sighed in relief as his footsteps faded away.

“Poor Arthur…” Gwen said. Merlin looked towards Arthur’s room, unsure of what to do.  
Gwen pulled a flower out of the bouquet and handed it to Merlin.  
“Give him this for me, would you?”

Merlin nodded, and slowly walked back through Arthur’s open door.

Arthur was staring out the window, one leg bent, his chin resting on his hand.

“Arthur-”

“Shut up, Merlin.”  
Merlin bowed his head, ever so slightly. He walked over to his Prince.

“This is from Gwen,” he said, leaving the flower on the windowsill.  
Arthur kept staring out the window.  
“I’ll just go and polish your sword-”

“Merlin.”

“Yes Arthur?”

“Scrub the floor. You can deal with my swords later.”

Glancing out the door, Merlin replied, “Yes, Sire.”  
As Merlin cleaned, Arthur picked up the flower with his free hand.  
It was small, it had only five petals and was purple in color. A wildflower.  
He rolled it between his forefinger and thumb.


	9. The Lady of the Lake part 1

_It was raining. She was cold- so cold. Her cage didn’t have a full ceiling and she was wearing nothing but rags._  
_A Boy with bright blue eyes met hers, then he turned away._  
_He should._  
_She’s a monster._

~~~~~  
The boy came back. He glanced her way, then peaked into the tavern.  
“Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you,” he said, walking over to her, “ _Tospringe._ ”  
His eyes flashed gold, the brightest thing in the night.  
The cage burst open at his command, and she can’t help but cower away from him. He takes her hand, and his eyes flash that brilliant gold again. “ _Unspene þás mægþ_!”  
The manacles fall from her wrists and he carefully drags her out of the cage.

Why is he doing this?

Halig comes out of the tavern, they’re going to be caught-  
Gold flashes again and the tavern sign falls on his head.

The boy leads her away, through a door and out of the rain.  
“He won’t find you here,” the Boy said, taking off his coat and holding it out to her, “Here.”

She shrunk back.

“Sorry,” he said, taking a step back and putting up his hands, “Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. I just thought you might be cold?”

She looked into his eyes, looking for any sign of deception.  
She couldn’t find any.  
“Why did you do that?” she asked, voice wavering from the cold.

“What?” he asked, genuinely confused.

“Help me.”

He broke eye contact, saying, “Well, I saw you and it...it could've been me... in that cage.”  
“You'll be safe down here. I'll come back in the morning with some food and candles. Will you be alright till then?” he smiled.

She nodded, unsure how to respond. The faintest grin appeared on her face.

“I’m Merlin, by the way.”

“...I’m Freya.”

“Freya,” he repeated, smiling wider. He held his jacket out to her again.  
This time, she took it.

“I’ll see you in the morning, Freya.”

~~~~~  
“Freya?” says a voice.  
Someone touches her. She shrinks away.

Oh, it’s just Merlin.  
“It's alright,” he says, “It's okay. It's me. It's Merlin. And look…”  
He lays a napkin in front of her. He opens it; it’s full of bread, meat, cheese.  
It smells amazing, and she hasn’t eaten in ages. She starts stuffing her face with bread.  


Merlin starts setting up candles.

Freya swallows, and says, “It’s good.”

“Believe me-” Merlin smirks, “-it’s fit for a prince.”  
He lights the candles with a wave oh his hand and a flash of his eyes.  
“Is that a druid symbol?” he gestures to her arm, “Were you born a druid?”

“Why are you asking me these questions?” she accuses.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to.”

“...I’m sorry.”

“I understand,” he shrugs.

“You could never understand.”

“I know what it’s like to keep secrets.”

“... Does anyone know you have magic?”

“Only you,” he said quickly, “And one other person. He knows... but I’m not sure he understands.”

“I wish I was like everybody else, but…” she trailed off.

“You always know, deep down, you’re not?” he finished.

She looked away.   
“Because I’m cursed,” she corrected him.

“Freya don’t say that!” he reprimanded her, “Magic doesn’t have to be a curse. It can be a gift!”

Freya almost snorted. He just didn’t get it- it wasn’t about the magic, she’s _actually cursed_.

Merlin sighed. The candles caught his eye. She could see an idea form in his head.  
“Look- _Hoppaþ nu swicae swá lig flíehen._ ”  
The candle lights floated in the air, the flames leaving their wicks and dancing around at Merlin’s beck and call.

“Beautiful…” Freya smiled.

Merlin let them dance for a moment more, before reuniting the flames with their candles. “I have to go. Erm, someone might notice I'm missing. But I- I'll come back, and I'll bring you some more food. I promise!” he smiled.  
This time, she couldn’t help but smile back.

~~~~~  
It’s cold.  
He’s late.  
He’s not coming.  
He’s not coming back.  
Of course not, why would he?  
Why would anyone?  
Oh. Are those footsteps?  
He’s sent someone to find her, he’s betrayed her-

“Sorry I took so long,” said Merlin’s voice.

She looked up, brushing away a tear.

“You must be hungry, here,” he laid the plate down for her. He tilted his head, “What is it?”

“Nothing.”

“But you’re upset!”

“No,” she denied.

“Did you think I wasn’t coming? I promised you I would, Freya.”

She smiled, “I scare most people away.”

'I’m not most people,” he grinned, reassuring.  
“...How long were you in that cage?”

“A few days,” she shrugged.

“And he bounty hunter-”  
“-Halig-”  
“- how did he find you?”

She huffed, “You can’t always trust people.”

“...I know. That’s why I left home.”

“Where is that?”

“Ealdor? It’s this small village," he said dismissively, “Just a few fields, a couple of cows, nothing special.”

“...My home was next to a lake surrounded by the tallest mountains. In the winter the storms whipped up the water into waves and you thought they were going to crash down and take away all the houses. But in the summer, wild flowers and light. It was like heaven…” she said wistfully.

“Sounds perfect,” he laughed playfully.

“It was,” she grinned back.  
“...Was?”

She looked away. She didn’t like to think about how… how she had… the blood…  
“My family died,” she said quietly.

“Have you been on your own ever since?” he asked respectfully.

She slowly nodded.

“You're not on your own anymore. I'm going to look after you. I promise!” he insisted.

“You can’t look after me, no one can,” she sighed, defeated.

“No, I don't think you understand. I've never known anyone like you.  
“...I wish I could stay.”

“You’re going?” she asked, eyes widening and biting her lip.

“We need to be careful. I’ve got a job- an important one. I'll come back in the morning. You know I will be back, don't you?”  
There was something about his eyes, she couldn’t help but believe him. She nodded.  
He grinned, standing up and walking away.

“Merlin?”  
He turned around.  
“I've never known anyone like you either,” she smiled.

~~~~~  
_Bells. Loud. Very loud, they echo through the corridors._  
_Pain._  
_Not again!_  
_God it hurts!_  
_Merlin!_  
_Back arches._  
_Claws extend._  
_Smell something._  
_Food._  
_Must find it._  
_Must find._  
_Where?_  
_Grrrrrrr._  
_Found._  
_Slowly._  
_Slowly._  
_Grrrrrrrrrrrr **rROAR!**_  
_Food screams._  
_Food loud._

 _Bite._  
_Tear._  
_Eat._

~~~~~  
“...I know, I know, I'm late again. Sorry. But, er, this is going to be the best bread you have ever tasted. What do you want with it? Come on. You can have anything. Ham, cheese-”

She could still smell the blood.  
“...Strawberries.” she mumbled.

Merlin’s mouth snapped shut. “...Strawberries it is! Hold on… what was the spell? _Blóstma._ ”  
Merlin put his hands together. As he opened them, there was a single red rose.

“Oh, I- uh- that was supposed to be a strawberry.”

“It’s the right color,” Freya giggled.

“I could... try again?”

Freya’s face fell.  
“Why are you so good to me? You don’t know me.”

“Because I can't help it. I don't know. With you I can just be who I am. We don't have to hide anything. We don't have to worry. You’re my friend,” he rambled.

He didn’t get it.  
She had to tell him.  
“Merlin, please, listen to me. I'm not like you-”

The bell began to chime midnight.

“No… no! Merlin, get back!” she yelled.

“Freya, what-”

“Get _**back**._ ” she growled, eyes turning to slits.

Merlin backed up to the wall.

She screamed- a loud, agonizing scream. It grew deeper- feral.

“Freya?”

Her arms shook as she fell onto all fours, back arching she panted, and she began to… change. Her skin stretched, her bones shifted. Hands turned into paws, Fangs stretched, fur grew quickly-  
Wings sprouted out of her back.

“Oh, Freya-”

She growled in response.

“Ssh, it’s okay,” he said holding out a hand.

She growled louder.

“Hold on, okay?”  
Merlin’s eyes flashed, staying gold and turning to slits just like hers.

The Bastet turned its head quizzically.

He fell onto all fours, growing and changing, as scales covered skin and wings grew out of his back.  
“You’re alright, Freya. You’re safe,” Merlin the dragon purred.

Freya backed up, hissing.

Merlin took a step closer, lowering his head to her level. He looked into her eyes; she was confused, frightened.  
Merlin made a cooing sound.

Tilting her head the other way, Freya took the slightest step forward.

“That’s it,” he said softly, “It’s okay. I won’t hurt you, Freya.”

Her eyes softened, recognition evident as she sniffed the air. She turned away from his gaze, ashamed.

“Freya, look. You’re not a monster. I promise. I’ll stay with you, is that alright?”

She looked to him pitifully. Slowly, she nodded.

“I’ll stay on this side of the room if you like,” he said, laying down and blocking her way out.

Eyes never leaving his, Freya laid down, tail twitching.  
It took her ages to fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're just friends, okay? I mean they only knew each other for like 5 days, this isn't Shakespeare or anything.


	10. The Lady of the Lake end

Freya’s eyes opened slowly.  
For the first time in ages, she didn’t smell blood first thing in the morning.  
Strange.  
She stretched, looking around.  
She froze.  
Something was curled up on the other side of the room.  
And then, she remembered.

Golden eyes opened, looking back at her.  
The Dragon smiled, stretched, and shrunk, soon Merlin was sitting in its place.  
“Morning, Freya. Feeling better?”

“...You’re a dragon.”

“You’re the Bastet,” he shrugged.

“I’m a monster.”

“You’re as much of a monster as I am. It’s not your fault, you can’t control it.”

“You can.”

“True,” he said, “but I have killed before. You didn’t kill anyone last night, I made sure. Maybe I can teach you to control your cat form,” he smiled.

Freya didn’t know how to respond.

“Oh! I have to go- I’m late-” Merlin grabbed his shirt from the floor and hastily put it on.  
“Be back soon, promise!” he yelled, running out.

Freya sank against the wall.  
“...Dragon.”

~~~~~  
“...Believe me, Freya, it was not easy getting this,”  
Merlin was holding a bright, strawberry-red dress, the brightest red she’d ever seen.

“...It’s beautiful…” she said, reaching out to touch it. It was made of silk.

“Fit for a princess,” Merlin said, holding it out to her.

She sighed happily, it was the prettiest, most expensive dress she had ever seen! Where ever did Merlin get it?...  
She drew her hand away. “I’m not a princess. I can’t accept this.”

“Freya-”

“You keep doing all this for me. I don't deserve it,” she said, turning away from him.

“I do it because I want to, because you’re my friend! Freya, what’s wrong?” he said, laying the dress down carefully.

“It’s to dangerous. _I’m_ dangerous.”

“I don’t care.”

“Merlin-”

“You think this is any more dangerous than my daily life?” he smirked.

“That’s not funny Merlin, you have to be careful-”

“Ugh, I'm fed up with being careful!” Merlin exclaimed, throwing his arms up, “I am fed up with all of this. I’m tired of hiding, of all the lying and pretending, avoiding my so-called friends. So I've decided, we're going to get out of here, out of Camelot. Together.”

She shook her head. “How?”

“We’ll figure it out. I told you, I’m going to look after you.”

“You _can’t_ , don’t say that. Merlin, you have a good life here. My life is...I have to keep moving, always looking over my shoulder, people chasing me-”

“Then we'll go somewhere no one knows us. Somewhere far away,” he countered.

“Merlin…” she shook her head in disbelief, “why would you do so much for a girl you don’t even love? You barely know me.”

“I know you well enough. We can be our true selves together, we don’t have to hide. And who knows, maybe these feeling will grow into love.”  
He held out his hand, “You still haven’t given me your answer.”

She was so tired of feeling alone. If she could spend all her time with Merlin, if he didn’t have to leave her all the time, never knowing if he would come back…  
She would risk everything.  
It was dumb, it was impulsive, but she took his hand.  
“I want that more than anything. Where will we go?” She smiled.

His face lit up. “Somewhere in the mountains.”

“With a few fields.”

“Wild flowers,” he laughed, spinning her.

“A couple of cows.”

“And a lake!”

“And a lake!”

“And I’ll learn how to grow strawberries!  
They fell to the floor, laughing with relief, longing, and hope.

~~~~~  
“Alright, I’ve got the supplies; food, water, blankets- I’ve sent aside a pair of horses.”  


“We’re really doing this, aren’t we?” Freya said, with wonder.

“We really are. I was right you know, the dress suits you.”

Freya blushed.

The sound of a door opening echoed through the halls.

Their eyes widened.  
Freya started breathing heavily.  
“They're going to find me. I can't go back in that cage, I can't- _I can’t-”_

“Shh. I won't let that happen. I promised you I'd look after you, and I will. No matter what. Breathe.”

Freya took a deep breath, then nodded.

“There’s another way out of here, come on.”

~~~~~  
Arthur raced out of the castle. Halig had found the girl- he was hunting her down now. He and his men quickly caught up.  
“Where is she?”

“This way, Sire!” Halig yelled.

Halig was fast, but Arthur was faster. He quickly had her cornered.

She turned around, trembling.  
“Please let me go,” she begged, staring into Arthur’s eyes.

Arthur lowered his sword ever so slightly, so slightly that no one noticed.

“No one escapes from me,” Halig said, a grin on his face. He grabbed a pair of manacles and took a step forward.

The bell chimed midnight.  
The girl looked up to the bell tower, then glanced at Arthur again.  
He could have sworn she mouthed the word “Run.”

The Druid _screamed _, an inhuman, feral scream.__

__Before his eyes, the girl turned into a beast, a huge cat with wings and fangs the size of his dagger. It growled menacingly, taking a step towards them.  
It pounced on Halig, it’s bite killing him instantly._ _

____

Arthur raised his sword in defense. He nearly struck, but hesitated.  
Just long enough for Leon strike a fatal blow in it’s chest.

Arthur closed his eyes- he tried not to imagine the girl he had seen moments ago. Wind blows through his hair as the thing- Bastet, Gaius said?- flew over his head, but it didn’t stay airborne long. His men soon had it cornered again, in the main square.  
The Bastet growled, daring the Knights to come closer.

There was a bright flash of light, all looked up to see a dragon- his dragon, Arthur realized with a start- blowing fire to create a wall between the Bastet and the knights.

The fire stopped; the Bastet was gone.

Leon cowered under the Dragon’s glare.

The Knights turned their blades up towards it.

It turned it’s sharp eyes to Arthur, and it’s hate faltered- to be replaced by sorrow.  
Luckily, it was to dark for anyone to recognize the crest upon the Dragon’s chest.  
It swiftly flew away. Arthur had a good guess as to where.  
He lowered his sword, head bowed in remorse.

~~~~~  
“You’re alright, you’re safe now,” Merlin said, hand outstretched to Freya. She bowed her head, allowing him to pet her.

She groaned pitifully.  
Slowly, she transformed back into her human form.

Merlin held her in his arms.

“You're safe,” he said quietly, brushing the hair out of her face, “I'm going to make you better, Freya.”

“No, Merlin, the wound's too deep. Please go,” she begged.

“No. No, I'm not leaving you here.”

~~~~~  
It was raining again. Merlin brought her to a lake, the closest lake he knew of. Lake Avalon, a beautiful place, private.  
Freya chuckled. “You found us a lake, surrounded by mountains,”

“Of course,” he said, voice breaking, “I- I’m sorry, Freya, I'm so so sorry-”

“Merlin,” she gasped, “you have nothing to be sorry for.”

Tears began to fall on both of their faces.  
“There must be something I can do, some way to save you,” Merlin cried.

“You've already saved me,” she smiled wiping away his tears, “You made me feel wanted, accepted.”

“I don't want you to go'” he choked on a sob.

“One day, Merlin, I will repay you. I promise.”  
The light faded from her eyes as her head leaned back.

Merlin grasped her tight, openly weeping.

~~~~~  
“ _Astyre_ ,” chanted Merlin.  
He had laid Freya in a boat, surrounded by ferns. She looked lovely in her dress. She almost looked asleep.  
Almost.  
With red eyes, Merlin watched as the boat took Freya out into the middle of the lake.  
“ _Wæcce on sæbát bælfýr mæst,_ ” he said, and the boat caught fire.  
Freya was finally at peace.

~~~~~  
Arthur walked towards his room slowly, thinking. He thought of his Dra- his friend, or Ally?... the sorrow in his face.  
He wondered who the Druid girl was, what she meant to his Ally.  
He open the door, and there was Merlin, polishing his boots finally.  
“Ah, Merlin. I've been looking for you.”

Merlin stared off.  
"Yeah, right, er, you're gonna ask me to polish your armor and to, er, wash your clothes and clean your room,” he sighed, polishing the boot harder.

Arthur walked over slowly, realizing something was off with his manservant. He sat down next to Merlin, opening his mouth, and closing it. He nearly put a hand on Merlin’s shoulder.  
“Something's been upsetting you, hasn't it?” Arthur asked finally.

Merlin huffed, ignoring Arthur.

“Was it when I threw water over you?”

Merlin sniffed, and smiled at Arthur, “It wasn't very nice.”

Arthur knew that wasn’t it, but Merlin was as defensive as the walls of Camelot when he wanted to be. If he couldn’t help Merlin by talking, then… he’d do the next best thing.  
“It was a bit unfair. Like when you called me fat.”

Merlin pursed his lips, “Why was that unfair?”

“Because I am not f…”  
Merlin was grinning at him.  
Arthur rolled his eyes. He put his arm around Merlin and dragged him into a headlock, rubbing Merlin’s hair with his knuckles.

“Wha- ow!”

“Still think I need to get in shape?” Arthur asked, smirking.

“Ow! No- no, no no no no!”

Arthur let Merlin go.

Merlin rubbed his head, then looked at Arthur and mouthed ‘What the hell?’

“You are right, though.”  
Merlin quirked an eyebrow in response.  
“You need to polish my armor, wash my clothes, and clean my room,” Arthur said, getting up.

As he walked away, he chanced a look back at Merlin.  
Who was grinning like an idiot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got through this episode quickly...  
> 


	11. A little tipsy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Morgana was returning to the castle after an afternoon hanging out with Gwen.  
It was a bit chilly, and Morgana had only brought a shawl with her.  
She was glad it was a bit dark; by just slightly covering her face no one recognized her, and she could walk around the city in peace.

As she walked past The Rising Sun, there was a small commotion. A familiarly lanky man was thrown out the doors and almost barreled into her.  
“Merlin?” Morgana asked, barely avoiding the young man as he tumbled to the ground.

“Oooooh, heey Morgan,” Merlin said, waving his arm wildly, “Why-why are you up there?

Morgana shook her head and helped him to his feet.  
“Merlin, what are you doing?”

“‘M drunk, I think.”

“I can see that, Merlin. Why are you drunk? You _never_ go to the tavern, you don’t even drink on special occasions.”

“Ahduno, when other people are reallyreally sad th-they get drunk. Thought I’d try it.”

Morgana’s brow furrowed, as she lead her stumbling friend back to the castle.  
“Why are you sad?”

“Reasons. Sssssh,” Merlin attempted to hold a finger up to his lips, but missed.  
“Can’t tell anyone. Tha would be bad.”  
He then proceeded to nod a lot.

“Merlin why can’t you tell anyone?”

“That bad.”

Morgana resisted the urge to sigh.  
“Why is it bad?”

“Everythin is bad. Like always,” Merlin pouted, then giggled hysterically.

The sun had set as they walked. Morgana shivered.  
“Oh, I sorry, you’re cold. _Fac pallio zeli,_ ” he said, eyes glowing gold.  
A heavy winter cloak appeared out of nowhere around Morgana’s shoulders.

“ _Merlin,_ ” she hissed, simultaneously surprised, concerned, and confused, “you have magic?!”

“NooooOOoooOoo, why wouldou think that? I’m not- I don’t- ssssssh,” Merlin flailed, nearly succeeding in separating himself from Morgana.  
Fortunately, she had a strong grip.

She quickly lead Merlin through the castle despite his protests, locking the door to her room.  
“You have magic?” she asked once again.

“No, I don’t, I have no magic and I know nothing about dragons, ‘spcecialy great golden bas-”

“Merlin-”

“Wat?” he said, looking at her with puppy eyes as he flopped into the corner.

“Is magic the reason why you are sad?”

“Of course not, I love magic! Magic is awesome and pretty and-” Merlin made a butterfly appear from his fingers, “-is great! But I can’t make strawberries. Stupid strawberries… stupid…” Merlin began to sob, curling into a ball.  
Morgana sat down next to him, rubbing his back.  
“Freya liked strawberries,” Merlin mumbled into his legs.

“Who’s Freya, Merlin?”

“Freya’s awesome. She’s a- a bassy- a base- a basset- sometimes she’s a cat, but she’s mostly a druid. She can fly.”

“Oh,” Morgana sighed, shoulders slumping.  
The Bastet.  
“What was she like?”

“Nice. Freya is a good friend. We were gunna run away and do magic and be friends. Somewhere far from Camelot and scary people and assassins trying to kill the prat again.”

“Assassins?”

“Oh yeah, people always want to kill Arthur. Poison and knifes an curses and sometimes love spells an-”  
Merlin kept going. Morgana's eyes widened as the list just _kept going_.  
“-an bloody Sidhi-”

“Merlin, Arthur gets attacked _all the time_? Why don’t I know about all of these?”

“Because I stop them, no one listens to-to a servant’s word, so I use magic an save his ungrateful behind like ebery day. Sometimes night.”

Morgana decided this was a conversation to have when Merlin was sober.  
“...Merlin, what happened to Freya?”

“Bloody Leon stabbed her, no wait, I should be mad at Arthur, he cornered her in the- the corner, then Leon stabbed her. We were gunna leave, we were gunna- gunna grow strawberries. Lots of strawberries. An a lake...”  
Merlin slumped over, obviously passed out.

Morgana sighed, putting her face in her hands.  
“Oh, poor Merlin…”

There was a knock at the door.

Jumping to her feet, Morgana smoothed out her dress and went to the door.  
She opened it the bare minimum.

“Morgana, can we talk?”

“Right now?”

“Yes? Why is something the matter?”

“No, it’s…”  
Morgana looked towards Merlin.  
“Don’t get mad, okay?”

“Alright,” Arthur agreed, confused.  
Morgana opened the door and let Arthur inside.

It took everything Arthur had not to start yelling.  
“Morgana-”

“He’s passed-out drunk, okay? I couldn’t just leave him in the middle of the street.”

“So that’s what he was doing. Getting drunk at The Rising Sun, again-”

“...what do you mean, Merlin never goes to The Rising Sun.”

“... He doesn’t?”

“It’s pretty obvious that he can’t hold his liquor,” she gestured to Merlin, still asleep and oblivious.

“Then why would he and Gaius tell me he goes there? What else could he possibly be doing?”

 _‘...people always want to kill Arthur…’_  
“I don’t know.”

Arthur was about to speak again when Merlin mumbled.

“Please…”

“...Is he?”

“I think he’s still passed out.”

“Please Arthur, do something…”  
Arthur and Morgana shared a look.

“...Morgana, don’t let Uther… don’t let him light it… Freya...”  
A tear rolled down his face.  
“Can’t stop it… Freya, I’m sorry…”

Arthur looked at the floor.  
“...Morgana, who-”

“From what he said before he passed out, a friend from Ealdor. A druid friend,” she easily lied.  
There was a very pregnant pause.

“Maybe I should take him to his room. If Gwen finds him here tomorrow-”

“Gwen wouldn’t-”

“-People talk, Morgana. Better to be safe than sorry.”  
He lightly tapped Merlin’s face.

Merlin groaned, blinking his eyes open.  
“ ‘rthur?”

“It’s late, Merlin. I’m taking you to bed.”

“Oh. Is tha’ an order?”

“Yes. Get up.”

“Okay. If you say so… Where am I?”

“Heading to bed.”

“Okay, Arthur.”

Arthur nodded to Morgana as he got Merlin to his feet.

“Good night, boys.”

“Ni, ‘gana.”

As Arthur lead him down the hall, Merlin said, “Wait when did Morgana get here.”  
Arthur just shook his head in exasperation.


	12. Just a little different...

Merlin was heading to do his normal chores when an arm came out of nowhere, dragging him into a secluded room.  
“What-” Merlin said, wringing his arm free and putting his hands up to-  
Oh, it’s just Morgana.

“You can put your hands down, Merlin. I’m not going to attack you.”

He slowly lowered them to his sides, heart racing. “What, ah- How can I help you, Morgana?”

“We need to talk.”

“About?”

“About what happened the other day.”

Merlin opened his mouth in confusion, but realized what day she meant.  
“Ah. You mean when… you and Arthur found me drunk.”

“Is that what he told you?”  
Merlin raised an eyebrow at her.  
“I found you, Arthur happened upon the two of us- thankfully, _after_ I found out some… interesting things.”

Merlin froze.  
Realizing Morgana’s eyes were still on him, he croaked, “Oh?”

Morgana grabbed a cloak that was laying on a nearby chair.  
“Do you remember this, Merlin?”

He glanced at it.  
“No? Isn’t it a bit warm for a lined cloak like that?”

“Merlin, you _made_ me this, the other day.”

“Morgana, I don’t know how to-”

“ _Merlin_.”  
He shut up.  
“I was cold, and you made me this,” her voiced dropped to a whisper, “Out of nowhere.”

~~~~~  
Morgana watched as fear settled in Merlin’s eyes.  
His fingers twitched, his shoulders tensed, he glanced towards the door.

“Morgana-” he said finally, “-what, I- I don’t- I didn’t-”

“It’s okay, Merlin,” she said, reaching out to touch him.  
He flinched away.  
“I’m not going to tell anyone, why would I?” she grinned, retracting her hand.

Merlin attempted to smile back.  
“You- you won’t- don’t tell Arthur?”

Her eyes softened, “I won’t tell anyone, I swear it.”  
He relaxed, but only slightly.  


“Merlin, can I ask… how long?”

He avoided her eyes, staring at the floor instead.  
“My, uh, entire life. I w-was born with it.”

Morgana blanched.  
“That’s possible?”

“I’m a special case,” he shrugged.

“So… you must be really good?” she asked, fingers brushing the lining of the coat.

“You could say that, yeah,” he chuckled.

“Can you teach me?”

Merlin finally looked her in the eyes.  
“What?”

“If you’re good, you must know a lot about- it. Could you teach me?”

“I-” he gaped, “- Morgana, I might have been born with it, but I didn’t start studying it until I came to Camelot-”

“But you know more than I do! Please, Merlin?”

“I- could try? I guess?”

“Thank you, Merlin!” she smiled, hugging him tightly.

Merlin didn’t know what to do with his hands.

She quickly let go.  
“So… uhm…” she said, fixing her hair, “There’s something else I wanted to ask you about.”

~~~~~  
Arthur couldn’t find Merlin.  
Why was he always missing when Arthur needed him? He was supposed to have his armor polished ages ago.  
A servant girl told him Merlin had headed this way, and no one seemed to have seen him since.

Arthur noticed voices coming from a room down the hall. Whoever they were, they were arguing.

“ _...rlin, why don’t you ever say anything?_ ”

 _“No one would listen! You may not realize this, but a servant's word is worth nothing! Who would listen? No Lord, no Knight, certainly not the King-_ ”

Was that Merlin’s voice?

“ _I’ve _tried_ , Morgana. I tried to warn Ar- people about Valiant, about Sofia, about- oh I’ve lost count!_”

Arthur cringed.

" _No one listens to the word of a servant. Don’t you see? I have to do this alone, because no one else will listen, let alone believe me! No one else can-_ ”

" _I believe you!_ ”

" _Only sometimes-_ ”

" _Well I know the truth now! I know, Merlin. You don’t have to lie to me anymore. Like you said, the word of a Lady, especially the King’s Ward, holds a lot more power. I can help, make things easier, and if you-_ ”

“ _I’m not putting you in danger like that._ ”

“ _And how are you going to stop me?_ ”

The voices went quiet.

“ _I can help, Merlin. You don’t have to protect him alone._ ”

 _“I really don’t think-_ ”

 _“I don’t care how dangerous it is. No man should carry such a weight alone. You do so much for him, and he doesn’t even know._ ”

 _“I prefer it that way._ ”

There was a pause again.

“ _He should make you a knight. You’re braver than all of them._ ”

“ _That’s the last thing I want. It’s better to stick to the shadows, give them all the glory. Besides, if Arthur knew what I do for him-_ ”

Arthur inhaled.

“ _-he’d make me stop. Camelot…_ ”

The voices dropped, he couldn’t hear them anymore.  
He strained his ear, but couldn't pick up anything else. He walked away in a daze.

Merlin was… protecting him?  
That wasn't right.

It’s Arthur's job to look out for Merlin. The idiot can't even hold a sword right.

Yet… there was that incident with the poison.  
And Merlin did drag him back from Sofia.

Merlin had a strange loyalty in Arthur, he knew that. One he didn't deserve. If Merlin was still helping Arthur, behind his back…  
What all has his manservant done for him?  
And why...would Merlin trust Morgana, and not him?

Is this why Merlin's been hanging out with Morgana so much lately?  
No… It sounded like she just found out.

Then why were they always sneaking around?  


Oooh.

 _The only way,_ Arthur decided, _that Merlin would trust Morgana over me would be if I was right that Merlin…_  
_And that Morgana loved..._  
_This is bad._  
_This is very very-_

__

“Sire!” said a voice, snapping Arthur out of his thoughts, “The vaults have been broken into! Your father is headed there now!”

~~~~~  
Arthur made it there first. He quickly went to examine the lock.

His Father walked in, power radiating off his every step.  
Arthur did his best not to shiver- his father just had that effect on people.

Gaius shuffled in behind him.

Arthur cleared his throat.  
“The lock hasn’t been damaged, which would suggest whoever it was had a key,” he said monotonly.

“Strange,” Gaius commented.

“Of all these treasures,” Uther vaguely gestured around the vaults, “this is all they were interested in. What was in here?”  
He opened up an ornate silver box, lined with blue velvet.

“I believe, Sire, one third of a Triskelion, a type of key.”

Arthur looked up at that. Triskelions are rare.  
Where did his Father get part of one?

“A key that, according to legend, opens the ancient Tomb of Ashkanar.”

“I remember the tale, Gaius. It contained a dragon’s egg.”

“It has been said.”

‘ _Oh, wow_ …’ Arthur thought. He made eye contact with Merlin-  
-When did Merlin get there?-  
-who… didn’t look as surprised as Arthur felt.

“You don’t believe it to be true?” Uther asked.

“Well, it is possible, Sire. The wealth and wisdom of Ashkanar are without equal.”

“Is the egg still there?”

“I can’t be certain. But, to my knowledge, no one has disturbed the tomb for more than four hundred years.”

“But with this Triskelion, someone could.”

“Sire, a dragon’s egg can live for a thousand years. Even today, it could still hatch, and another dragon would be born into this world.”

“So, all my work to rid the world of these monsters would be undone.”

Gaius cringed, ever so slightly, behind the King’s back.  
“That must be our fear,” he said calmly.

“Then we have no choice. Arthur, you must hunt down this intruder, destroy the egg.”

‘ _And kill a child?_ ’ Arthur thought.  
“Yes, Father,” he said monotonly.

As Arthur walked passed Merlin, he could have sworn Merlin looked… resigned, worried, sad, apprehensive, angry, yet confident all at the same time. His eyes… Arthur would never forget that look.  
He felt, for some reason, those eyes were because of him.  
He hated that look.  
He never wanted Merlin to look like _that_ again. Ever.

~~~~~  
Arthur rode out with Sir Leon and a small group of Knights, Merlin by his side.  
The look had lessened from Merlin’s eyes, but… it was still there.  
Arthur tried to concentrate on hunting the thief, and not on his best fr-manservant.

“We’ve lost him,” announced Leon.

“No horse tracks,” Sir David confirmed.

“He’s covered them,” said Sir Yaromir.

“We had him!” Merlin yelled, shocking everyone, “We were so close…” he turned around, and started to walk away.

“...Where are you going?” Arthur called after him, “We don’t even know which way he went.”

“He’s heading east,” Merlin vaguely gestured, annoyed.

The knights looked around, then at each other.  
“How do you know that?”

“..... Because I can sense it.”

Arthur fought hard not to roll his eyes.  
“Sense is not a word I associate with you, Merlin.”

“Hang on!” said Sir Gregory, “He’s right. There are tracks other here.”

“He can’t be,” Arthur gaped.

“Well done, Merlin!” congratulated Leon.

A small smile spread on Merlin’s face, if only for a moment.  
As they headed off, Merlin said, “You ever heard of the word sorry?

“No, is that another word you made up?” Arthur joked.  
Merlin didn’t reply.

~~~~~  
Arthur’s not sure what happened. One minute he was eating stew that Merlin made, the next he and his knights were collapsed on the ground.  
Arthur sat up fast, making himself light-headed.

One, two, three- all his Knight were there-  
Where was Merlin?

Oh, _no_.  
He’s gone and done something stupid, like try and protect Arthur again, hasn’t he?

There was a loud rumbling noise, that sounded like-  
The Tomb!

~~~~~  
Arthur sprinted, watching the tower fall hoping to god that Merlin-  
Merlin wasn’t-  
Merlin was running towards the trees, something blue in his hands.  
Arthur slowed his pace, relaxing at the sight.

Merlin stowed the thing in his bag as Arthur came up behind him.

“What the hell happened?!” Arthur nearly yelled.

“The tomb was a trap, he set it off,” Merlin explained, “he never got out.”

“What about the egg?” Arthur asked, sheathing his sword, watching the tomb crumble completely.

“It would have perished with him,” Merlin shrugged.

“Are you sure?”

“Nothing would survive under all that,” Merlin confirmed.

Arthur sighed, crouching down next to him.  
“I saw you put the egg in your bag, Merlin.”  
Merlin’s hands instinctively tightened around the bag. He avoided eye contact.  
“Give it here, Merlin.”  
His grip tightened more.  
“I’m not going to hurt it.”

After a pause, Merlin spoke.  
“But you said-”

“What my Father doesn’t know won’t hurt him. I’ll take the egg to someone who knows what to do with it, take it where it belongs.”  
Merlin tilted his head quizzically.  
“You know, to our black and gold ally.”

Merlin finally looked at him.  
Releasing his grip ever so slightly, Merlin asked, “You promise?”

“I’m not going to let anyone hurt a child, Merlin.”

Slowly, Merlin handed over the bag.  
Arthur nodded his thanks.

There were footsteps behind them- the Knights had caught up.  
“What happened?” Leon asked.

“The tomb was a trap- the thief and the egg must have perished with it.”

~~~~~  
It was late that night as Arthur paced around his room, the bag with the dragon’s egg sitting upon a nearby chair. He needed to get rid of it and soon.  
But how?

_Arthur_

Arthur jumped, reaching for his sword and looking around the room.  
There was no one.

_Arthur_

He jumped again. The voice- it was in his head.

_Come find me, Arthur._

...He recognized that voice. Grabbing the bag, and keeping a firm hand on his sword, he walked out of his room.

~~~~~  
Arthur walked into a clearing in the woods surrounding Camelot Castle. A familiar dark shape was waiting for him.

“I believe you have something for me?” the Dragon said, eyes glowing gold in the dark.

Arthur reached into the bag and pull out the oddly-shaped blue egg.  
“Is it… still alive?” he asked.

The Dragon smiled, “It can live for more than a thousand years.”

Arthur smiled in return.  
“When will it hatch?”

The Dragon stood up tall, and said, “It needs a name.”

“Like what?”

He thought for a moment, then said, “ _Aithusa_ ,” in a deep whisper.  
There was a cracking noise, and Arthur carefully lowerd the egg onto the ground.

It cooed, slowly breaking it’s way out of the shell. It growled softly, stretching out its wings and staring at Arthur.

“It’s beautiful,” Arthur smiled.

“He is.”

“He?”

“I’m fairly certain.”  
Aithusa cooed, walking over to the Dragon. He bows down to nuzzle him.

“Thank you, my King, for making sure he gets to me safely.”

Arthur nods his head.  
“Take good care of him.”

“You don’t have to worry, he’s safe with me.”

“Are you going to tell me your name, now?”

The Dragon chuckled, “What would be the fun in that? Go home, Sire. Return before Camelot wakes.”  
Aithusa climbs onto the Dragon’s leg. He gently lifts him up onto his back.  
“Goodnight, my King.”

Arthur huffed, crossing his arms as the dragons flew away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You don't mind that i messed with time, do you? I know Aithusa was in s4, not 2, but i really like her. Or is it Him? I can't find proof for either gender. Maybe I'll make them nonbinary.  
> Edit: Killgara does call him a boy, but Katie says Aithusa is a girl? Confusing. I'll just go with what the show says.


	13. Magic Games

Morgana rode fast into the forest. She wasn’t sure where she was going- she just wanted to _ride_. The wind sweeping through her hair reminded her of flying.  
She hadn’t seen nor heard from Emrys since her short stay in the druid camp.  
She rode over grass and streams, barely paying attention. Breathless, she slowed her horse. She lead it to a nearby river to drink.

A branch snapped behind her.

Turning on her heal, she gasped, “Merlin?”

“Lady Morgana,” he bowed awkwardly, “I was just gathering herbs, for Gaius, and I saw you ride pass, alone- like something was chasing you?”

Morgana smiled, “I’m fine, Merlin. No one is chasing me. Except for you.”

“Right- sorry,” he said, scratching his head.

“Don’t be sorry, this is actually perfect.”

“It is?”

“We’re alone, no one around for miles,” she said, walking towards him.  
He cleared his throat, fiddling with his neckerchief. “And?”  
“You can teach me some magic.”

“Oh,” he exhaled, “Uhm, maybe. What do you want to learn?”

She thought about it.  
“I want to control fire,” she said finally.

“Fire? Really? After-”

“I want to be able to control fire so nothing like that happens again,” she said sincerely.

Merlin nodded, “Of course. Right. So- uhm-” he took a step closer to her, “-put your hands out like this.”

She copied him, cupping her hands in front of her.

“Breathe. Close your eyes. Focus on the world around you. Listen to the wind going through the trees, listen to the birds, to the river flowing over rocks. Feel the wind in your hair, on your skin. Focus on the world around you.”

Morgana breathed through her nose, and exhaled through her mouth.

“Repeat after me. _Forbearnan_.”

“ _Forbearnan_.”  
Morgana opened her eyes- the world took on a golden glow, if only for a moment. In her hands was a small, bright orange flame.  
Morgana gasped, laughing, “I did it!”

Merlin watched as her eyes sparked in delight. He smirked.

“It’s warm… but it doesn’t burn,” she smiled.

“You can control it too.”

“I can?” she said, eyes alight with wonder.

“Focus on the flame- keep it away from my hand, okay?”

She nodded, jaw set.

He slowly waved his hand through her flame. The flames dances around his outstretched fingers- never reaching them.

“Wow, Morgana. You’re a natural!” he praised.

A pink tinge appeared on her face. She lost concentration- the fire went out.  
“What else can I do?” she asked.

“Well- sinse you can handle fire- let’s play with water!” he held his hand out over the river and said, “ _Colligunt aqua_.”  
An orb of water came from the river and floated towards his outstretched hand. “It’s easier to collect water from a source than to make if out of nowhere.”

Morgana watched the gold fade from Merlin’s eyes. At one time such a sight filled her with fear- but now, she felt acceptance.

“ _Colligunt aqua_?” chanted Morgana, and water came to reach her hand- though not as solid looking as Merlin’s orb.  
As she tried to concentrate on controlling it better, she didn’t notice Merlin’s orb floating slowly towards her. It stopped above her head, then deformed- soaking her and making her lose her concentration.  
She stood there, gaping like a fish as Merlin doubled over with laughter. She was momentarily glad to be wearing her riding clothes and not a dress.  
With and evil glint in her eyes, she stalked over to Merlin and shoved him into the river face-first.

After a few moments of flailing, he swam back to shore, to find Morgana laughing just as hard as he did.  
He couldn’t help but join in.

~~~~~  
A few days later, they met up again. This time, Merlin brought his book for her to look though.  
“Merlin, where did you get this?” she asked, rifling through it’s pages.

“I- uh- Gaius gave it to me,” he said hurriedly.

“... He knows?”

“Ah, yeah, he does. I sort of saved his life with it when we first met…” he rubbed the back of his neck, “he also figured out about your magic, on his own. He doesn’t know you know, about your magic or my own.”

“Hmm.”

“He used to do magic himself, before Uther banned it. Truth be told, he ah, still does, when he needs to.”

Morgana was silent, quietly flipping pages of the book, looking at the pictures because it was in a language she did not know.  
“How many magic users do you think are hiding in Camelot?” she asked finally.

“...I’ve never really thought about it before,” he shrugged, “A fair few, seeing how we know of at least three.”

“It’s too bad there’s no safe way of knowing for sure,” she sighed, “... what’s this one?”

“That? It’s an animation spell! That’s a hard one, took me ages to figure it out in time to stop Valiant.”

“Hold on, You made the snakes come out of Valiant’s shield?”

“Er, yeah, I did.”

“You really do save Arthur all the time…” she trailed off.  
“Can you teach me the language?”

“Of course!”

~~~~~  
They were running.  
Morgana had only wanted to practice with earth spells.

They had been seen- they were being chased by bounty hunters.

Merlin held onto her hand, hoping the bounty hunters hand not seen their faces.  
His eyes flashed gold and the nearest man was grabbed by vines and flung into the trees.

Another man grabbed onto her shirt, yanking her back and out of Merlin’s grasp.  
Morgana screamed, eyes flashing gold, hand extended. The man was thrown away by an invisible force- ten, fifteen, twenty feet away.  
Merlin grabbed her hand again and they sprinted away.

They ran for ages, not slowing until they were sure the hunters were far behind. Morgana flung her arms around Merlin, panting heavily and near tears.  
“It’s alright Morgana, we’re alright,” he said, patting her on the back. He sniffed back some tears of his own.

“They almost- They almost-” Morgana inhaled.

" **They didn’t.** " 

“I don’t want to burn, Merlin. I don’t- I don’t want _you_ to burn.”

“I promise you, Morgana, that will never happen. I will never let you come to harm for having magic.”  
She sniffed into his shoulder.

~~~~~  
Morgana was really good at combining elements. She loved mixing fire and air, just for fun- coming up with intricate dances where the fire danced with her like living ribbons.  
She loved tricking Merlin, and using water and earth to control vines to trip him up, not that he needed any help falling onto his face. More often than not, he missed her vines and tripped over his own feet trying to avoid them.  
She loved magic.

And oh, did her hatred of Uther grow.  
So did her hatred of Arthur, who never had an individual thought in his life. She knew his beliefs on magic were the same as his father’s- why else would he never stand up for magic users?  
Why else would Merlin not trust him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of my spells i get from the show- some I make up (with help from google translate)


	14. The Witch's Quickening, part 1

Morgana carefully snuck into Arthur’s chambers. It was empty, like she knew it would be. She quickly walked over to his bedside, where Arthur kept his keys. She found the right set, turned around, and-  
When did he-?  
“Merlin!” Morgana said, keeping a straight face she’d learned from years of political classes, “I was looking for Arthur.”

“He's out training,” he replied, in an equally flat voice.

“Of course,” she laughed, “Silly me.”

“He, er, he trains every day. The same time, same place,” he smiled.

Oh, hell.

“I--I just wanted to apologise for last night. Another time, perhaps,” she said, trying to control herself but knowing she was being shifty.

“Why did you lie to Arthur last night, Morgana? There _was_ someone in your room.”

Morgana hesitated, one hand on the door. This was Merlin, she could trust him… right?  
Or would he run straight to Arthur?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said over her shoulder, and shut the door behind her.  
The Crystal of Neahtid was too important to risk.

~~~~~  
“Thank you, Gwen. That'll be all,” Morgana said, taking off her jewelry for the night. Guinevere was busy cleaning up Morgana’s chambers.

“Nearly done,” Gwen replied, smoothing out Morgana’s bed sheets.

“It's fine, Gwen. You can go,” Morgana insisted. She had something to do, and the sooner she left the better.

“Won't take a moment,” Gwen said.

“I said you can go!” Morgana yelled. She didn’t mean to, she just had to get her friend out of there.

“...My Lady,” Gwen curtsied, confused. She quickly left the room.

Morgana sighed, removing the Crystal from its hiding place.  
It would be easy to sneak out of the castle.  
Unknown to her, she was being followed.

~~~~~  
“Morgana!” Mordred yelled, giving her a running-hug. They were at a crossroads in the forest, not far from where she knew a camp of Druids dwelled. She hugged him back, tightly. Alvarr approached- she handed him the Crystal.

It was a beautiful thing; clear in some areas, yet snow white in others. Morgana could feel the power radiating off of it.  
Alvarr sent Mordred back to camp, for he and Morgana had things to discuss.

When he went out of earshot, Alvarr said, “It's my hope that with time Mordred will master the Crystal. And when he does, we will strike Uther down. Uther and all who serve him.”

Morgana looked worried. She thought of Gwen, of Arthur, of _Merlin_ \- “All who serve him?”

“If we are to win this war, there can be no half-measures. I see this troubles you,” he noted.

“Yes. Yes, it does. Not everyone who serves Uther is-”

“My Lady,” he cut her off, “we fight for our very survival, as do you.”

Morgana froze, “I’m sorry, I don’t-”

“The boy. He told me you have magic. You need not be afraid,” he insisted.

“I know,” she inhaled, “I'm sorry. I've become so used to concealing the truth.”

“Believe me, I understand what that feels like,” he said darkly, yet sympathetic.

“Every day I must look Uther in the eye knowing that if he were to discover who I really am, he'd have me killed,” she admitted hurriedly.

“You have been very brave.”

“I don't want to be brave,” she scoffed, “I just want to be myself. I don't want-” strangely, she thought of Merlin again, “-to hide anymore.”

“You do this for us, and you need never hide again.”

“... Does Aglain know about this?”

He looked to the floor, guiltily.  
“No, my Lady, he does not. I’m afraid he wouldn’t approve of us involving you in such a thing.”

Morgana nodded. She realized how light it had gotten.  
“I must be heading back. The castle will be waking soon.”

“Farewell then, Lady Morgana,” he bowed, “And thank you once again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, the pace will pick up soon :)


	15. The Witch's Quickening, part 2

The Throne Room was one of the prettiest places in Camelot, thanks to the high ceiling and the windows. Morgana loves it.  
Or, she used to.  
Right now, she wants nothing more than to leave, to be nowhere near the King.  
His loud, authoritative voice shook her out of her thoughts.

“You know the whereabouts of the Crystal?”

 _'What?!'_  
No, they couldn’t have found the camp. Of course not.

“I believe so, Sire,” Gaius replied. Wait, didn’t Merlin trust Gaius? Gaius was supposed to be an ally of magic!  
...What did this crystal do?

“I see. How did you come by this information?”

“In my capacity as physician I have dealings with many people. They hear things, Sire, and they see things. Last night I was confronted by one such man who told me that the Crystal had been stolen by a band of renegades led by a man called Alvarr.”

 _'No!'_  
Morgana gulped.

“Who exactly was this informant?”

“I think it would only be fair to protect their identity, Sire. If news of the betrayal were to reach the renegades, it could indeed endanger their life.”

Wait… Alvarr, leading renegades? Wasn’t he a druid?

“Very well.”

“Where is this Alvarr hiding?” Arthur asked. Of course he did.

“He was last seen in the Valley of Chemray, Sire.”

“Summon the guards, Arthur. I want this matter investigated without delay.”

“Yes, Father.”  
The whole thing was over very quickly- Morgana had to stop Arthur, or at least stall him.

~~~~~  
The tell-tale sound of high heels clicking behind him told Arthur that Morgana was following him.

“Arthur, you're not seriously thinking of going on this mission, are you?” she asked quickly, with a strange edge of… was that worry in her voice?

“No, I'm not thinking of going on this mission. I am going on this mission,” he replied.  
_It’s not like I can just disobey _every_ direct order from my father._

“But you're chasing nothing but a rumor-”

“True, but for now it's the only lead we have to go on,” he shrugged.

She cornered him. He tried very hard not to roll his eyes as she said,  
“You're wasting your time. I assure you.”

' _What is she… you know what, I don’t have time for this_ ,' Arthur thought.  
' _I know-_ '

“Morgana. I never knew you cared,” he smiled, over the top.

He could see just how confused she was at the change in tone.

“What are you talking about?”

“I can look after myself, you know.”  
Morgana actually rolled her eyes.  
“It's a combination of raw talent and hard training that makes me-”

“Yes, I know. That makes you so utterly obnoxious,” she cut him off.

He grinned at her with thin lips.  
She grimaced back.  
He took the opportunity to step around her. Now, he needed to find Merlin…

~~~~~  
Morgana rode hard and fast towards the Druid camp. She had to warn them- had to tell Alvarr, had to-  
…  
Was that Emrys, she saw from afar, diving into the camp?

Aglain was waiting for her, arms crossed with a disappointed dragon by his side. Morgana hung her head, sliding off her horse.  
“I assume you know why I’m here?” she said, quietly but loud enough to be heard clearly.

“Morgana, why did you take the Crystal?” Aglain asked.

“Alvarr said… that… it belonged to the druids and that… Uther had stolen it… I was just… I thought…” she trailed off. You forget how to speak when a dragon looks at you like that.

“Alvarr is not to be trusted. I gave him and his men a second chance, and he corrupts Mordred and you. He’s a fanatic.”

“I’m sorry,” Morgana said sincerely.

“We’re packing up, to a new location, and leaving the Crystal of Neahtid for the Knights to find. It is dangerous, and best kept in Camelot’s vaults where none can use it.”  
Morgana opened her mouth to speak, then closed it.  
“You want to know why?”  
She nodded.  
“The crystal shows those with the ability to read it the knowledge of what is, what has been, and what is yet to come. It is a power none should wield, for knowing too much of one’s future...” he glanced, first at Emrys then Morgana, “...could drive one mad.”

She nodded, understanding. She rubbed the bracelet Morgause had given her, the one that stopped her bad dreams… her visions.

“I have to go,” Emrys said suddenly.

“Why?” Morgana asked, finally lifting her head.

“I can’t keep the Once and Future King waiting for long. You should go to- before your absence is noticed. All of your sneaking around, the King might get suspicious.”

“Yes, you’re right,” she said, resigned, “I wish you a safe journey.”  
She bowed to Aglain, and started walking to her horse.

“Morgana,” Aglain said, as Emrys flew away.  
She stopped in her tracks, turning towards him.

“We will let you know where we end up, we’re not abandoning you. You were simply tricked.”

A weight lifted off of her shoulders. “Thank you,” she breathed, grinning.

~~~~~  
Keep low to the ground, keep quiet, be aware of your footing- things Arthur could do instinctively.  
Merlin, however, could not.  
“I told you,” he whispered, “Didn’t I tell you?”  
Arthur inhaled, tensing up. Does _the idiot_ not know how to keep silent, even if it hadn’t been trained into him?

Arthur ignored Merlin, and quickly made it to the edge of the camp.  
“Wait, what are you doing-?” he whispered loudly.

 _It’s called “taking the enemy by surprise,” Merlin_ Arthur thought.  
Which was a good plan.  
Except… there was no one there.

It was unmistakably a druid camp, but it was deserted.

Arthur checked the fire pit. The ashes were cold.  
“Well, whoever was here, they’re not anymore.”

Arthur stood up, just as Merlin said, “Yes, they are?”

Something flew passed his face- an arrow had just barely missed Arthur, hitting one of his Knights.  
“Take cover!” Arthur commanded, as more arrows flew.

The Knights of Camelot easily apprehended the renegades, even though they had succeeded at sneak attacking the Knights.  
Merlin looked confused, then saw the last man standing and suddenly his face turned to one of understanding. Odd…

Arthur approached the man, holding him at sword point.  
“Give me the Crystal,” he demanded.

“What use is it to you?” the man yelled, taking a step closer to Arthur’s sword, “You're a fool. How many lives have been lost this day? And for what? You cannot wield the Crystal! You do not have the power! None of you do!”

Arthur found the crystal hidden in the man’s jacket. 

Merlin had the strangest look of… longing? on his face. What was with Merlin and the weird looks today?  
Arthur shook his head. Merlin always made funny faces.

~~~~~  
Alvarr was _livid_. His plan had failed- his renegades had been no match for the Knights of Camelot and their stupid Prince. Uther would soon have the crystal again. He had failed.

_Why didn’t you go with the others, Alvarr?_

Where did that voice come from? He looked about but the owner was nowhere to-  
Ah. Of course Emrys wouldn’t just fly into a Camelot camp.

 _It was my duty. I could not leave the crystal unprotected,_ he thought back.

_It was not meant to be held in your hands, nor in Mordred’s. Now, you go to your death._

_Judging me, Emrys? I have no regrets._

Emrys chose not to reply.

~~~~~  
“So, you admit to stealing the Crystal of Neahtid?” Uther questioned Alvarr.  
This was not right, Alvarr as supposed to escape, what had happened to the others?  
Morgana took in every word, heart beating faster than a running horse.

“I do,” Alvarr said indifferently.

“You admit to plotting against your King?”

“You are no King of mine.”

Uther’s lips thinned.  
“And you acted alone? You were not aided or abetted by any citizen of Camelot?”

“I acted…” He made eye contact with Morgana; It seemed to last forever.  
“...alone.”

Morgana and Merlin quietly exhaled.

“Then I find you guilty of treason. You are an enemy of Camelot, Alvarr. You are sentenced to death.”

“Then I die with honor. To be an enemy of Camelot is no crime. You, Uther, you are the criminal-”

“Hold on,” said a voice to the King’s right.  
Everyone turned to look at Arthur, with baited breath.  
“Execution?” he asked his father, the King.

“...Excuse me, Arthur?” Uther said, oh so painfully slowly.

“A stay in jail, surly, but not execution.”

“You dare challenge me?”

“All he did was steal a Crystal from the vaults, that does not-”

“He was caught consorting with sorcerers!”

“So what?”

No one made a sound, as the King and the Prince stared at each other, unblinking.

“Any crime related to magic is a crime deserving of death,” Uther said slowly, venom dripping off his words.  
Arthur opened his mouth to retort.  
Yet no sound came out.  
He looked to the floor.

“Of course, Father,” he said, resigned.

“Take him away,” Uther said, vaguely gesturing to Alvarr and relaxing back into his chair.  
It seemed like the entire hall exhaled on his words.

But Morgana and Merlin stood frozen, staring at their Prince.  
Was he…  
Did he just…  
Was Arthur going to defend magic?

Everyone slowly left the hall, one or two at a time, until only Morgana and Uther were left. Morgana had the guards close the doors behind them.  
She turned to face Uther, one step at a time.  
“How many more must you kill before you're satisfied?” she asked, plain as day.

Uther turned, eyes wide. Then he sighed. Both of his children judging him, in one day? At least Morgana had the decency to do it in private.  
“He was guilty. He confessed his crimes. You heard him as well as I.”

“His only crime was to defy you.”

“Why are you defending this man? He was a sworn foe of Camelot. You know this.”

"Is it any wonder he wanted you dead? You, who have persecuted his kind day after day, year after year-”

“I will hear no more of this, Morgana-”

“Because you are an arrogant fool!”  
Morgana could scarcely believe the words coming out of her mouth. She just insulted the _King_! Yet she went on, angry and unafraid.  
“You were deaf and blind to the very needs of the people you profess to serve and protect! The people will tolerate it no longer-”

“I said enough-!”

“They are rising up against you!” she yelled, voice quavering.  
He raised his arm, anger radiating of him in waves, but she did not give him the chance to speak.

“From this day forward, I do not know you.”

Uther froze, the anger leaving his face like it had been erased, for a moment.

“From this day forward, I disown you,” Morgana turned to storm out.

“You will go to your chambers!” Uther yelled.

Morgana paused, one hand on the door. She looked over her shoulder, at the man she hated so much.  
“And you,  
Uther,  
you will go to _hell_.”

She promptly walked out.

The door closed quietly behind her.

She walked a short ways on to clear her head.

Then it hit her, what she had just done.

She _**ran**_.

She found herself in front of Arthur’s chambers.  
She hesitated at the door. She wanted Arthur to know, she want to tell him everything- yet… she found that she couldn’t open the door.

Is this how Merlin felt, hanging around Arthur? 

Shaking out her arms, and taking a breath to relax, Morgana walked away.

Her fingers brushed the wood of Arthur’s door as she left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is a lot more morgana-centric then i meant... well, that's writing for you


	16. A day off

_Merlin…_

_I am waiting, Merlin._

_You gave your word, Dragon **boy **.****_

********

_Set me free!_

_MERLIN!!!_  


~~~~~  
He had to get out of the castle.

Sure, Merlin snuck out all the time, but today he _needed_ to get out. He left Arthur a note and everything.

He had found it by accident one night, when he was tracking down some witch that had threatened Arthur. In a deep section of the Darkling Woods, there was a giant hole in the ground.  
Of course Merlin didn’t fall into it the first time. He was watching where he was going, thank you very much.  
Now the opening was completely hidden by vines and leaves, a safe haven for one of Merlin’s more precious secrets.

“ _Revoco_ ,” Merlin’s eyes flashed gold, creating a small opening in the vines.  
A soft chittering noise reached his ears; he braced himself for the incoming attack.

A small white dragon barreled into his chest, happy as a puppy. Aithusa didn’t quite get landing yet.  
Merlin flailed slightly, trying to get a hold on his squirming fledgling as he walked down the spiral staircase he built along the walls of the chamber.  
“Yes, hello Ai- hello you can stop- that’s my ear- Aithusa!” he laughed, finally getting a hold on the dragon. Aithusa snuggled into Merlin’s chest. He had grown a lot since he hatched, Merlin wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold Aithusa comfortably in human form.

He made it to the bottom, where there was a soft bed of moss covering the ground. Merlin sat down so Aithusa was in his lap, who was perfectly content just being petted and sitting in silence.

Merlin exhaled, listening. He never really had time to just… listen anymore.  
The wind was blowing leaves around above them, the subtle sound of bending branches echoing into the makeshift cave. There was water flowing behind him; Merlin remembered the small, never drying spring he made so Aithusa wouldn’t go thirsty.

Aithusa was smooth, he vibrated slightly, purring against Merlin.

The moss was soft under his hand, his fingers rubbed the floor, back and forth. It was warm, light peeking in through cracks in the vines above. It smelt like damp earth and plant life and running water and something strangely sweet- the vines were flowering.

It was nice, better than the hustle and bustle and constant fear of death hanging over his head in Camelot. This was his secret place, his and Aithusa’s alone.  


Something touched Merlin’s chin. He looked down to see Aithusa claws gently tapping his neck. He made a worried chittering noise, nuzzling Merlin with his nose.  
“I’m alright, Aithusa,” Merlin smiled reassuringly, booping the fledgling on the nose.

Aithusa sneezed.  
Merlin chuckled.

~~~~~  
Arthur was bored. So very, very, bored.

Merlin had up and left without a word, just a note upon Arthur’s bedside table.

To entertain himself, Arthur did all the things he usually did; trained his Knights, did some paperwork, antagonized Morgana.  
He was still bored.  
He tried doing all the things he used to find entertaining before Merlin showed up. But something was missing.

He didn’t miss Merlin, that wasn’t it. He just wanted his armor polished and his room cleaned and his sword sharpened and-  
Okay, so maybe he was feeling a bit lonely.

He poked his head into Morgana’s chambers, hoping she was there, but saw only Guinevere.

Oh, _Guinevere_. She was so beautiful.  
Arthur watched her as she worked, tidying up Morgana’s room and hanging up Morgana’s dresses. The mid-morning light from the window highlighted her naturally beautiful figure. His eyes wandered over her form. She was wearing light-purple today, a colour that suited her perfectly. He admired her hair, wanting to run his fingers through it, imagining it to be soft like velvet.

All of her movements were so graceful, yet she was just doing was a bit of cleaning. He watched her hands smooth out the folds in a dress, such wonderful hands they were. He wanted to hold her hands in his, imagined her smiling at him radiantly while he sliped a silver ring onto one of her long fingers, imagened lifting her into his arms and taking her to his-

She turned around, and Arthur quickly flattened himself out against the wall, out of her line of sight.  
Breathless, he hoped he hadn’t been caught staring. He heard footsteps coming towards the door; he hurriedly tried to look casual and began walking down the hallway.

He didn’t see her smirking at him as he half-walked, half-sprinted away.

~~~~~  
Arthur was sitting alone in his chambers when Merlin got back.  
“Don’t tell me you were at the tavern all day,” Arthur commented.

“No. Why would you think that?”

Arthur raised an eyebrow, saying, “You’re always at the tavern.”

_...Merlin never goes to The Rising Sun..._

He shrugged, “Not today.”

“Then what were you doing? You’re note just said ‘going out’.”

Merlin broke eye contact, and began fluffing some of Arthur’s pillows.

“I was doing errands for Gaius.”

Arthur looked, for once. And he saw. Merlin was lying to him. He did that a lot, didn’t he? Start working as an excuse not to look Arthur in the eye?  
He sighed, chin leaning on his hand.

“Something wrong, Arthur?”

Yes. His best frien- manservant was lying to him, and did so all the time. He wanted to call him out on it, say something-  
“It’s nothing, Merlin.”

“You know you can always talk to me,” Merlin grinned.

_You could talk to me, too._

The corner of Arthur’s mouth twitched up, but he said nothing.


	17. The Fires of Idirsholas, part 1

_Some 300 years ago, seven of Camelot's knights were seduced by a sorcerer's call. One by one, they succumbed to her power. At her command, they became a terrifying and brutal force that rode through the lands leaving death and destruction in their wake._  


~~~~~  
Morgana opens her door to a chilled room, a slight breeze blowing. That’s odd, she could have sworn she closed her window.  
There’s a little box sitting on the windowsill.  
It’s a simple thing; silver, with red velvet lining. There’s a tiny scroll inside.

_"My dearest Morgana, Meet me tonight after sundown in the Darkling Woods outside the castle gates. I will wait for you under the marked and distinctive tree... Until then, keep safe."_

…  
Who sent this?  
Should she go?

“Are you all right?” asked a voice.

She instinctively crumpled the paper.  
Luckily, it’s just Gwen.  
“Yes,” Morgana replied, slowly shutting the window, looking for any sign of where the box came from,“...just a little cold.”

“Do you need something warmer?”

“No, thank you.”

~~~~~  
Morgana left a while after sundown. Uther wanted to have dinner with her and pretend everything was fine. It was a very awkward affair.  
Morgana hoped she wasn’t late.

“You look well.”

Morgana smiled at Morgause. A strange woman, yet Morgana couldn’t help but trust her smile.  
“Thanks to you,” she replied, rubbing the bracelet Morgause gave her, “I wear it all the time. I can't remember when I last had a bad dream.”

“But you do not seem happy. Why is that?” she asked, concerned.

“I would be, if I didn't have to pretend.”

“Pretend?”

“That I'm Uther's loving ward,” Morgana spat, “when I hate him.”

“Have you ever imagined a new world, Morgana?,” Morgause said silkily, “One where Uther was no more?”

A world where Merlin and herself didn’t have to hide who they were, a world where sorcerer’s weren’t killed for being born. A world where Arthur was King, and free to do as he pleases without _Uther_ corrupting his mind. A world where maybe, just maybe, Guinevere has magic too and doesn’t have to hide it from her. A world where Gwen and Arthur could show the world how much they loved each other. A world of Peace.  
“Sometimes.”

“And is that what you'd like?”

 _More than anything._  
“I once had the chance to be his assassin,” she admitted.

“And what stopped you?”

“I don't know. I believe he cared for me... But not anymore. He cares for no one.”

“So, you want Uther destroyed and his reign to end?”

“More than anything. But it doesn't matter what I want. The future's not of my making.”

“You are wrong, Morgana. You underestimate your importance. The decisions you make now will change the shape of everything that is to come.”

Morgana looked at her quizzically.  
“What do you mean?”

“Whose side are you on, Morgana? Are you with Uther? Or are you with me? Are you prepared to help me bring about his downfall?”

To save herself… to free Merlin…  
“I am.”

“I can't tell me how much it means to hear you say that,” Morgause smiled, caressing Morgana’s cheek.  
Morgause’s eyes glow, and the world starts to blur, and fade to darkness..

~~~~~  
“Morning, My Lady.”  
Dazed, Morgana wonders when she got back...  
“Morgana?”  
How did Morgause sneek-  
“Morgana?”

“Yes?” she asked Gwen.

“Did you sleep well?” Gwen yawned

Confused, she replied, “Yes.”  
Gwen yawned again.  
“Better than you, by the looks of it.”

“Sorry,” Gwen smiled. She sighed and went to pick out a dress.  
It was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mwahahaha...
> 
> EDIT: I know, I haven't updated in a while, sorry! I've had a lot of school work, but I promise I'm going to add a new chapter soon. 'Till then~ <3


	18. The Fires of Idirsholas, part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back~  
> Sorry.

Merlin was being uncharacteristically quiet. He’s always chatty on a scouting trip, before something potentially dangerous happens.  
“What is it, Merlin? Don't tell me you've been listening to Gaius's bedtime stories again,” Arthur smirked.

“I just hope that's all they are.”

Arthur rolled his eyes.  
“We’re nearly there.”

~~~~  
_I have court business that needs attending to._

_You have to stay in bed, Sire. You have a fever. I'll prepare a tonic for you. Leon, when did he first fall ill?_

_It came on this morning. It's not something to worry about Gaius?_

_No. It will soon pass. Be sure to let me know if there's any change._

~~~~~  
The Knights spread out, casing the area. Merlin stays close to Arthur.  
“What's that noise?” Merlin asked.

“What noise?”

“A sort of trembling sound.”

“That's your knees knocking together,” Arthur joked.  
But he heard it too.

~~~~~  
_I fear this contagion is spreading. You're the fifth person I've seen today, Gwen._

_I’m sure it's nothing Gaius._

_Damn. Ooh. I'll pick that up later. I think I might need a little something myself. If I can ever find what it is I'm looking for._

~~~~~  
A loud creaking sound echoed through the stronghold. Arthur opened the metal gate completely, into a wide-open room, full of cobwebs. It indeed looked like no one had set foot there for hundreds of years.  
There was a fire pit in the middle. Arthur reached into it, to feel the ashes left behind.  
They were fresh.

“It seems part of Joseph's story was true. Probably just travelers passing through," he hypothesized.

“Or maybe not,” Merlin voice rang out.

Arthur turned around to see what he was looking at-  
Seven fully armored black Knights, who were drawing their swords.

Why does something always go horribly wrong? 

These Knights are fast-  
But the Knights of Camelot can hold their own.

Arthur barely dodges a strike to his midsection and succeeds in fatally stabbing his opponent.  
There’s no blood on the blade.  
The enemy still stands.

He blocked a blow headed straight for his head.

Another black knight swung at him, and Arthur managed to stab it-  
But his blade got stuck in its abdomen.  
Great.

“Arthur!” Merlin yells.

As he turns around, Merlin tosses him a sword. He manages to block a few more strikes-

“Run, Merlin!”

“No!” Merlin yells back. He takes a defensive position at Arthur’s back, arm outstretched, _without a weapon._  
What is that idiot-?

“Will you do as I say!” Arthur yells protectively, shoving Merlin towards the exit.

Camelot’s Knights have all fallen. He needed to make sure at least _someone_ gets out alive.

Merlin yells something, but Arthur’s too distracted to listen.

There’s a loud rumbling noise, the ceiling starts to cave in-  
A hand grabs him by the shoulder, dragging him out of danger.

Arthur and Merlin sprint away as the entrance collapses.

~~~~~  
The pair pauses a good ways away to catch their breath.

Arthur notices Merlin bleeding.  
“What happened to your arm?” he asks, trying not to look worried.

Merlin blinks. He hadn’t even noticed.

“Oh, I must have caught it on something,” he says, taking his jacket off to get a better look at it.

“Let me see,” Arthur says, grabbing Merlin’s arm.  
It’s just a small cut, thankfully.

"Your first battle wound,” Arthur smirks, “Here.”  
He rips part of his shirt to get a length of fabric.

“No,” Merlin protests, “No, don't...You'll ruin it.” he sighs.

_What, does he think my tunic is more important than his own well being?_

“Don't worry. You can mend it.” Arthur smiles, wrapping up the wound tightly. “...Did anyone else escape?”  
Merlin looked down, shaking his head no.  
Damn.  
Arthur sighed, forlorn.

“...We need to get back to Camelot, gather reinforcements.”  
They started running again, headed towards where they left the horses.

~~~~~  
Camelot’s castle grew ever closer; this strange, foreboding feeling Merlin had grew ever stronger.  
At they approached the city entrance, he noticed that it was… too quiet.

“Arthur?” Merlin asked.

Arthur held up a hand to shush him. They dismount quickly.  
The guards are scattered across the ground, unconscious, or-?  
“Are they dead?”

“No. They're breathing,” Arthur confirmes, crouched down to check a guard. He hears Merlin exhale slightly.

“What's happened to them?”

“I don't know.”  
Everywhere the go, people are strewn about. Arthur can see Merlin resisting the urge to check everyone, noticing friends and neighbors as they run up main street.

The duo makes it to the castle courtyard. The normally bustling area is silent, red capes strewn about, the Knights asleep. The ever-present sounds of horse hooves and rustling metal and linens are missing.

“What's going on?” Arthur asks no one in particular, exasperated.

A loud noise startles them- a beat, echoing in the silence.

It’s a workhorse, carting around barrels of who knows what at a trot. Arthur grabs the horse by the reins, calming it with a pat on its nose. It’s not riderless- no, it’s owner is fast asleep on the cart behind it.

“I'll- get Gaius,” Merlin says, before Arthur can say anything. The echo of Merlin’s boots on the cobblestones is the only sound, besides the breathing of the horse.

He zones out for maybe a moment, lost in his thoughts, when a loud voice yells “Arthur!”

As Arthur rushed inside, all he can think is _No, not the citadel…_

He finds Merlin frozen at the base of a set of stairs, shaking slightly.  
“They're all fast asleep. Must be some kind of sickness,” he said monotonly.  
They stood there for a moment, before Arthur realized something extremely important.

“Where's my father?”

~~~~~  
They pass by Gaius’s chambers, finding him as asleep as everyone else.  
Merlin mumbles something about magic.

Paling even further, if such a thing was possible, Arthur rushed out of the room.

The door to Morgana’s chambers was wide open. Arthur half-walked, half-ran inside.

Gwen was sprawled out on the floor.  
Arthur’s breath hitched.  
He quickly checked her pulse, and let out a silent sigh of relief. Just asleep.  
Yet no less in danger.

He picked her up bridal style, moving her to Morgana’s bed. He knew Morgana wouldn’t mind.  
Arthur tucked a loose strand behind Gwen’s ear.  
He could feel Merlin watching him.

The curtain rustled, and both men turned.  
Merlin looks to Arthur, to make sure he heard it too.

Arthur unsheathed his sword slowly, the metal ringing out in the silence.

He stealthily went towards the curtain, sword held up in front of him, pushing Merlin behind him. He reached out for the curtain, and-  
Morgana screamed, fist bouncing off of Arthur’s armour.

Arthur quickly lowers his sword, saying, “It's me! It's me, Morgana! What's happened?”

“I didn't know it was you!” she gasped, breathing heavily, fear still set in her eyes.

“Calm down, Morgana. Just tell me what happened.”

“People- people were complaining, saying they weren't feel- feeling well,” she said, brow furrowed.

“And what then?”

“They started falling asleep. Everyone, everywhere I went!”

“Was someone here?”  
Morgana shook her head quickly.  
“Then why were you hiding?” Arthur asked.

“I told you, I didn't know who you were!”

“Where's my father?”

“I don't know!” she gasped.

“Arthur, she's distressed!” Merlin said, walking close to them.

“If she was awake then she must have seen something-”

“-I didn't see anything-”

“She can’t think if she’s panicking! Let her breath, Arthur!”

Arthur let go of Morgana’s wrist, having forgotten he was holding her. She rubbed it with her other hand, biting back tears of stress.  
“I’m sorry, Morgana. I forgot my self.”

Morgana shook her head, “It’s fine, Arthur.”

After giving all three of them a moment to breathe, he said, “You saw people getting sick, what did you do?”

Morgana gazed at him blankly in response.  
“What could I do?”

“Morgana, I don't understand. Why is it that you're the only person awake?”

~~~~~  
Morgana didn’t know what to do. Something was wrong, everyone started to just… fall over, and Gwen- she barely caught Gwen before she hit her head on the floor, what if this is an attack on Camelot, what if everyone asleep is going to die-

She took a deep breath. Panicking more wouldn’t help anything. She couldn’t let herself look weak in front of Arthur. She collected her self, straightening her posture and tried to focus on the sound of Arthur’s footsteps through the corridors.

“Don't worry, I won't say anything,” Merlin said to her quietly, when Arthur was a little ways ahead of them.

“About what?” she asked, because surly Merlin didn’t think this was her fault-? “This has nothing to do with me!”

“No, of course not, but...there must be something keeping you safe, and I think that maybe… it might be the magic?”

Oh.  
“Right,” she nodded. That made sense.  
Thank god Merlin was here with her.  
She had the strangest desire to reach out and latch onto him...

“I found him!” Arthur yelled, from somewhere ahead.

Morgana and Merlin sprinted into the King’s chambers, where Uther was asleep at his desk.  
“Father,” Arthur said, trying to rouse him.

“See, he's all right.”

“He is not ‘all right’, _Mer_ lin-”

“He's just asleep. All we have to do is find the cure. A way to wake them,” Merlin reassured Arthur, trying to be the voice of reason.

“Who could have done this?” he asked, leaning with his hands on the table.  
He made eye contact with Morgana. She paled under his gaze.  
“You're the only one who's not been affected, Morgana. There must be a reason.”

She looked to Merlin for help. His lips twitched, itching to say something, but neither could think of a quick explanation.  
“I don't know,” she said, throat dry.

“That's all you keep saying! You must know something!”

“No, they just fell asleep one by one!”

“It's obvious!” Merlin jumped in, a sparkle in his eyes, thank god. “When she started feeling sick, Gaius gave her a potion, right?”

Arthur turned to Merlin, “When was she sick? She never said that."

“She must have been one of the last to be affected. Somehow the potion must have helped.”

“What about everyone else?”  
Merlin tensed, jaw working as he tried to think of a response-  
Morgana jumped in with, “By then Gaius was too ill. He didn't have a chance to treat anyone else.”  
There was a really long moment where neither of them could look Arthur in the eye.

“...Go and see if you can find this potion,” Arthur said finally, “I'll search for signs of life in the lower town. Morgana, you stay here. You look after my father. Keep him safe. Here-” Arthur grabbed one of his father’s swords and handed it to her, “Protect him with your life, you understand?”

She nodded, then asked, “Are you sure?”

“We both know your skills with a sword, Morgana. You’ll be fine.”

With that, Arthur and Merlin left.  
Left her all alone.  
In the silent castle.  
With Uther. 

Morgana glanced at the sword in her hands, then back at Uther.  
It would be so easy. She could do It, she could raise the sword up and-  
And-  
Her hands shook.  
Killing isn’t as easy as Arthur and the Knights make it out to be.  


She can do this, she can do this, she raised the blade ever so slightly, this is Uther the Tyrant, the evil King, the-

Morgana lowered the sword.

What would Arthur think of her?  
What would _Merlin_ think of her?

…

...Oh.

...Oh, of course, Morgause-

Oh, what had she done?  
Morgana’s breath hitched.  
This was her fault.  
She put her home in danger. 

This isn’t what she wanted- she wanted Uther gone, truly, but not like this. Not at the expense of her friends.

Morgana dropped the sword on the table, not even wanting to look at it.

~~~~~  
Arthur and Merlin came back, what seemed like ages later.  
“This will be one of the first places they look. We have to get him somewhere else,” Arthur said, rushing to his father’s side.  


“What's going on?”  


“We're under attack. No time to explain. Grab his legs, carry him.”  


They make it to Arthur’s chambers, carefully depositing the King on the floor.  


Morgana notices that Arthur and Merlin are breathing heavily.  


“You alright?” Merlin asked Arthur.  


Morgana notices how pale they boys look. How sweaty. How tired… oh, _no_.  


“Are you feeling the same?”  


“We're getting sick.”  


Merlin gives her a look. She doesn’t know what to do. She knows she must look guilty.  


“We can't let that happen. We must keep my father hidden.”  


“Why don't we disguise him?”  


“That might just work.”  


“I'll get him some clothes.”

Merlin raced out, leaving her alone with Arthur. She avoided looking him in the eyes.

“Are you alright, Morgana? You seem quiet,” he says finally, walking over to her.

“I'm fine,” she smiles, which quickly fades.

“You sure?” he says, getting closer to her than she would have liked.  
“I can always tell when you're lying. Don't worry. I won't let any harm come to him.”

Wait, what? Who-  
Oh. Arthur is still a dimwitted fool, then. He thinks she cares for Uther.

~~~~~  
Arthur can see it in her eyes. She’s scared for Merlin. She shouldn’t be worried; the idiot has a strange knack for surviving impossible scenarios. He’ll come back in one piece.

He means every word. Not only does he protect Merlin because Merlin is his friend- _manservant_ , Arthur has _got_ to stop doing that- but because he knows what Merlin means to Morgana. 

If he becomes King before Morgana is forced to marry… he has a few laws to change.

~~~~~  
When Merlin grabs the hemlock, he vaguely realised that there should be two bottles, not one.  
He pauses by the door.

Turning back, he grabs the small bottle of antidote.

~~~~~  
Merlin bursts into Arthur’s chambers, making Morgana jump, yet making her more relaxed with his presence.  
“I was worried about you,” she says.

That’s new, there’s something unreadable in his eyes….

“They're here! They're in the castle!”

“Where's Arthur?”

“Gone to find somewhere safe to move to.”

“Thank you for not saying anything to him.”

“It's all right,” he replies, not looking at her.

Morgana wants to say something, make him understand how she feels, since she… what would she say, she’s not even sure how she feels.  
“You're a good friend,” she says, finally.

That’s when Arthur bursts in.  
“We have to move my father before Morgause gets here,” he commands.

“Morgause!” Morgana nearly whispers, fears confirmed.

“Come on! Let's go!”

“You're not surprised?” Merlis says to her, still not looking at her.  
No, please. Not Merlin. He knows to, doesn’t he? Please… don’t let him look at her like...

“No, I am,” she insists, though she knows he doesn’t believe her.

He looks so tired…

~~~~~  
They barricade themselves in the throne room.  
“There has to be something we can do!” Arthur yells, banging on the doors in frustration.  
“Unless we can rid ourselves of this sickness, then I don't see how we're going to hold out.”

“We have to destroy the source of the magic,” Merlin says, from behind him.  


Arthur flings his arms out in exasperation, “Which is?”

“I don't know.”

Morgana looks tired, sullen. Like she’s given up. Arthur clenched his fists. He will not give up, he will get them out of this alive.

“Our only chance is to get out of Camelot. Help me with my father. You cut the blanket up. We'll tie it to my father, and we'll lower him onto the cart.”

“Arthur…”

“Morgana, please just do as I say. I'll- fetch the cart 'round to the window.”

“You're going out there?” Merlin asks, exasperated, looking at Arthur like he was the idiot. Then, he looked resigned.  
“I'll come with you.”

“No. No, you stay. You need to protect them.”

“You won't reach the cart alone. It's suicide!”

“We have no choice!”  
Arthur leaned against the doors, exhausted, his vision going dark. Oh, hell.

“How you feeling?” Merlin asked. Observant arse.

“Not bad.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, you?”

“Never better.”

Liar.

He closed his eyes, he could rest, for just a moment, right?  
“Get me a pillow, could you.”

“Don't mess around. Arthur you... Arthur? You need to stay awake.”  
The next thing he knows, his face is stinging. His eyes burst open, to see Merlin retracting his hand.

“Merlin!”

“That's better!”

“If you ever do that again…” Arthur threatened.

“Well, don't fall asleep, then!” Merlin taunted.

Arthur took Merlin’s water skin and splashed himself in the face- he _had_ to stay awake.

As Merlin helps him unbar the door, Arthur asks, “If I need a servant in the next life…”

“Don't ask me,” Merlin smirked.

Arthur laughs. God, he’s going to miss Merlin.  
The doors open, and Arthur doesn’t even hesitate. He has people to protect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mwahahaha....  
> next chapter will be better, promise


	19. The Fires of Idirsholas, end

Morgana can feel everything.

She feels the smooth, cold stone floor beneath her.  
She feels linens and silks rubbing on her skin, fluttering around her ankles, her wrists.  
She feels the sunlight on her skin, warmth seeping through her clothes.  
She feels every hair on her head, feels the strands tickling the skin of her neck, shoulders, and face. 

She can feel her fingers touching each other, side by side; same with her toes.  
She can feel her eyes moving in their sockets.  
She can feel her lungs expanding and contracting, the wind moving through her neck.  
She can feel her heart beating as the blood pulses through her veins.  


Her fingers ghost over the blanket she’s supposed to be ripping up, knowing it’s pointless.  
She feels the muscles in her throat constrict as she tries to speak.

“He's not going to survive out there,” Morgana says, feeling how tense her jaw muscles are.

“I know,” Merlin replies monotonly, lowering his hands as he finished barring the doors.

“We've got to do something,” she nearly whispers, hands trembling.

“I know,” he says again.

Why does he have to sound so lifeless?

~~~~~  
_**Clang, clang, clang** go the swords and armor, just outside in the hall._

~~~~~  
Merlin looks like the weight of the world is on his shoulders. He knows, doesn’t he? Or suspects?  
Yet he didn’t say a word to Arthur.

Morgana gulps back tears as she struggles to speak.

Merlin is facing away from her, behind the throne. He’s looking for more fabric to rip up.

“Merlin,” she whispers finally.  
He doesn’t hear her.  
“ _Merlin_ ,” she tries again, and he turns around.he takes a step closer, on hand on the back of the throne.

“What is it?”

“I-” she tries.  
“I-” she tries again.  
“I’m sorry," she gasps, eyes filling with unshed tears.

Morgana was glad that Gwen showed her how to hide pockets in even the most tight-fitting dresses. Her hand wrapped itself around the cold glass bottle.  
“I’m sorry, Merlin. It’s all my fault. I did this.”

Merlin’s already red eyes stared into her soul, the look of despair on his face that surly matched hers.

“Morgause- she tricked me-” Morgana gulped, “-this is not what I wanted! I was mad, and I didn’t- didn’t mean- _I’m the source of the magic_ ,” she cries, her hand covering her mouth, eyes closed in shame.

She can hear Merlin come closer, feel his hand on her shoulder.  
“Morgana…” he says, raspy.

She opens her eyes. He’s right there, right in front of her. God, the look on his face- she can’t even describe it with words.

“I’m sorry,” she says, fingers tightening around the little bottle as she holds it out in front of her, for Merlin to see.  
“I can stop this,” she sobs, hands shaking, “I can save them.”  
Even if her hand covers the label, the skull and crossbones sign is clear as day.

“Mor-”

“It’s Hemlock. It- it works fast, I- I’ll only suffer for a few moments.”

“Morga-”

“ _Please_ , Merlin, don’t. I have to do this-”

“ _ **Morgana**_ ,” he cries, grabbing the hand holding the bottle, “There must be another way.”

“There’s _not_.”

“What- what if- Morgause cares for you, right?”

Morgana blinked, “Uh-”

“Please, Morgana, does she care for you?”

Confused, yet strangely sure of her answer, Morgana nods, “Yes.”

“Look,” he said, pulling a vial out of his bag, “This is an antidote. I carry it around, because- because you never know when someone’s going to try and kill Arthur again,” he chuckles dryly.  
“If- if Morgause cares for you, then we can convince her to remove the spell, you don’t have to die. I can’t- I-”

Their foreheads touch, Merlin’s eyes closed as the two openly sobbed.

“We can dilute it, with-with water, give Morgause more time. I can save you, Morgana. Please,” he begged, opening his eyes to look straight into hers.

Hope, just a spark of it, shown in Merlin’s eyes. Morgana wept, unsure if she felt the same. But she agreed.

She let go.

Merlin dumped the poison into the water skin, eyes never leaving hers.  
“I’m right here, Morgana. You’ll be safe, I _promise_ ,” he wept.

~~~~~  
_**Clang, clang** _

~~~~~  
Morgana feels the water go down her throat.  
Her muscles strain as she coughs.  
Her throat constricts.  
She can’t- she can’t _breathe-_

~~~~~  
Morgause could hear it, feel her sister’s pain-  
What had they done?  
_What had they **done**?!_

~~~~~  
Merlin held Morgana in his arms as she struggled to breathe, she reached out and caressed his face, she… went silent…

Morgause magicked the doors off of their hinges, running towards him.

Merlin reluctantly lets her have Morgana.

“What has he done to you?” she cries, brushing the hair out of Morgana’s face.

“I had to,” he croaked.

Morgause roared, “You poisoned her!

“You gave me no choice.”

“Tell me what you used and I can save her!”

“First, stop the attack!”

Morgause glared at him, disdain in her eyes.  
“You're nothing but a simple servant! You don't tell me what to do!”

“If you want to know what poison it is, you will undo the magic that drives the knights!”

“Tell me the poison or you'll die!”  
“Then she'll die with me. I don't want this any more than you, but you give me no choice. Stop the knights and you can save her.”

~~~~~  
_**Clang**_

~~~~~  
_“Astýre ús þanonweard! Cnihtas Medhires, éower sáwla. Rid eft ond forsliehð eft.”_  


~~~~~  
The seven Knights fall where they stand. Startled, Arthur looks about- Morgause is nowhere to be seen-

That can only mean-  


~~~~~  
Merlin held out the antidote with shaking hands. His finger’s brush Morgause’s. As soon as the bottle is in her hands, her eyes flash gold.

She screams an incomprehensible spell, and Merlin flies across the room-

He hits the wall and stays, suspended above the ground-

~~~~~  
Many Knights of Camelot are waking slowly, confused, disoriented, to the sight of their Prince sprinting like mad towards the throne room. They quickly follow at his heels-  


~~~~~  
Morgause makes sure that Merlin can’t breathe, makes sure the _serving boy_ feels exactly what he made Morgana feel, as she tips the antidote into her sister’s mouth-

Arthur rushes into the hall, to the sight of Morgana on the ground, in Morgause’s arms-  
To Merlin, gasping on the wall-  
To his father, unsheathing a sword.

“ _Bedyrne ús! Astýre ús þanonweard!_ ” Morgause chants as the Pendragon men run at her.

Morgause and the unconscious Morgana disappear in a whirlwind of Magic.

Merlin falls to the floor...

~~~~~  
His Father stands in Morgana’s room, in front of her mirror. He’s holding one of her necklaces.  
The warning bells keep ringing. Arthur wishes they would stop.  
Morgause is long gone.  
She took...

Arthur clenched his fists, inhaling quietly.  
“I couldn't find you. Are you alright?” he asks quietly.

“Is there still no sign of her?” Uther asks, still kingly and proper. He wears his power like a mask few can see through.

“We've looked, Father.”

“Morgause must not be allowed to get away with this,” he says, with perfect control of his voice.

“Yes, Father,” Arthur replies, his tone betraying his thoughts.  
He turns to leave, planning to check on Merlin-

“Arthur.”  
He stalls at the door.  
“I haven't had a chance to say thank you.”

Arthur holds back a scoff. “I failed, Father. I should have protected Morgana,” he says, full of regret.  
_And Merlin._

“No. That was my duty. Her loss will forever my on my conscience, not yours.”

He knows his father is trying to help, that he probably believes that. But what could he have done? The King was asleep the whole time.  
Arthur was awake, he could have protected them, could have stayed, not leave them so defenseless-  
Arthur digs his nails into his palms.

~~~~~  
Merlin woke up slowly.  
It was brighter than he thought it should be.  
Oh, he was late again, wasn’t he? Arthur was going to be in a bad mood.  
His throat hurt. Was he coming down with a cough?

Oh.  
Right.  
_Morgana._

What had he done?  
What had he almost-?  
Kilgharrah nearly convinced him to try and- and-

And yet, Morgana got to the Hemlock before him.  
She wanted to…  
To save…  
What kind of a world did they live in?

Morgana isn’t some dark witch like Kilgharrah believes. She’s a young woman, a person, with a deadly secret.  
She wanted to protect her friends from her sister and _herself._

Didn’t Merlin try to do the same?

No. Morgana was willing to do more.  
A person possessed by darkness would never give their life for their friends.

God, what had he done?  
Did Morgause get to her in time?  
What would Arthur think of him, for allowing Morgana to-  
What would Gwen?

Merlin was right all along.  
He was just a monster.

The door opened, slowly.

Oh god, it’s Arthur.

Merlin started breathing heavily.

“You’re awake,” Arthur said, closing the door behind him.

“Arthur-” _gasp_ “I- I’m Sorry.”

“Merlin, it’s not your-”

“Morgause- I- she- Morgana-”

“There’s nothing you could have done, Merlin. Rest your voice, Gaius said to make you drink this when you woke up.”  
Arthur awkwardly handed Merlin an odd- smelling tea.  
“We’ll find her. I swear.”

Merlin nodded, silent tears streaming down his face.

“There’s no lasting damage, is there? Be a shame if Morgause made you even more of an idiot.”

“Clotpole.”

“That’s not a word, Merlin.”

“Yes it is.”

“Looks like Morgause did mess with your head- oh wait, you’ve always been like that,” he smirked.  
Merlin threw a pillow at him.

~~~~~  
“Merlin? Where are you going? You need to be resting.”

“There's something I have to do, Gaius.”

“At this hour?”

“It’s a magic thing.”

Gaius shook his head, exasperated.

~~~~~  
_You must steal a sword from the Knights of Medhir. Their blades were forged by the Old Religion. If you harness its power to your own, you will have the strength to break the chains with which Uther Pendragon keeps me prisoner._

~~~~~  
“The time has come, young warlock.”  


“Where will you go?”

“I am the last of my kind. There is but one road I can take.”

Merlin gulped.  
“What does that mean?”

“You will see.”

“Before I do this, you promise me that you will not harm Camelot.”

“I think there have been enough bargains, don't you?”  


He closed his eyes.

“ _Ic bebeode þisne sweord þæt hé forcierfe þá bende þæra dracan. Un clýse_!”  
The shattering metal echos throughout the cave.

Kilgharrah _roars_ , a terrifying sound that made even Merlin shiver.  


What had he done now?

As Kilgharrah’s flame appeared in his eyes, Merlin knew he had made the wrong decision.  
It was too late now…  
He had to warn Arthur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to dragon stuff~


	20. The Last Dragonlord, part 1

_Screaming._  
_Loud, high pitched screaming._  
_Men yelling._  
_Dark, hard to see._  
_Bursts of orange light._  
_Tired, exhausted soldiers._  
_Surrounded by allies, never safe._  
_Pouring rain._  
_Stones crumbling._  
_The ground is slick; with water, or blood?_  
_Never-ending flames._  
“I know you're tired, but make one last effort for me! Every shot must count!”

~~~~~  
_Tan, white, red._  
_Moaning and crying._  
_Men, women, children covered in blood._  
_Covered in burns._  
_Sweat._  
_Herbs._  
_Constant rushing._  
_Ash._  
_Pain._  
“I don't think people can suffer a third night of this.”  
“We must trust in Arthur, Gwen.”  
“I do, Gaius. But even he has little chance.”

~~~~~  
_Cold stone._  
_Sea of orange where orange shouldn’t be._  
_Bright moon._  
_Lines of archers._  
_Shaking, quivering._  
_Fear._  
“I'm sorry you're having to do this.”  
_Thank god, he’s still alive._  
“Why? You're not to blame, Merlin.”  
_Strong winds._  
“Flame up!”  
_Wooosh!_  
_Clickclickclickclickclick_  
“Stay strong! For tonight is not your night to die, I will make sure of that!”  
_Closer._  
“Hold firm!”  
_Closer._  
“Hold!”  
_Don’t dare to breathe._  
“Hold!”  
_Ear-splitting RROOOAR._  
**“NOOOW!”**  
_Whistling arrow bolts._  
_Useless._  
_Flames coming,_  
_DUCK!_

~~~~~  
“We've no clean water left.”  
“I know, but it's too dangerous to go out there.”  
...  
“Gwen! DON’T!”

~~~~~  
She runs, sprints, flies.  
Holding onto the bucket for dear life, she runs the wrong way, runs towards the fire, towards the Knights, the protectors.  
She jumps over rubble, jumps over bodies, burnt to a crisp-  
Don’t think about it.  
Don’t.  
Oh god, there it is-  
Ignore it.  
Faster, Gwen, faster!  
She gets to the well-  
" **Clear the square!** "  
_It’s Arthur. He’s alive!_  
She can’t leave, they need the water.  
“ **Gwen!?** ”  
Don’t look, get the water-  
" _ **Guinevere!!**_ ”  
She turns.  
Oh god, the dragon is swooping down, heading right for her-  
Arthur catches up to her-  
They’re hit!  
She’s hit?  
No.  
_It_ got Arthur.

~~~~~  
_**“Why are you doing this?! You're killing innocent people!!”**_

~~~~~  
Arthur hated the infirmary. It smelt of blood and ash and death. There were also all the weird potions and tinctures used for healing.  
There is one good thing about it, this time, helping him ignore the searing pain in his chest and shoulder.

“Your wound is deep, Sire,” Guinevere said, carefully cleaning out the wound the Great Dragon gave him, “It will need stitches.”  
She grabbed the curved needle and thread from the table.  
“This will hurt," she said.  
Her hands shook.

“I trust you, Gwen,” he said, steadying her hand.  
Her hand was soft, yet calloused, a working hand. He caressed her hand with his thumb.

“You shouldn't have risked your life,” she scolded.

“I wasn't going to let anything happen to you,” he replied quietly.

_You're worth so much more than me._

“You won’t be able to use this arm for weeks!"

“At least it’s my non-dominant arm,” he shrugged.  
Then winced.  
She shook her head in disapproval.

She laid the needle down, needing a moment to collect herself.

Arthur took her hand again, and held it against his chest, so she could feel his heart beating.  
They spoke no more words, just gazed into each other’s eyes.

~~~~~  
“...The dead number forty-nine men, twenty-seven women, a further eighteen women and children are unaccounted for. Most of last night's fires are now out. The castle walls, in particular, the western section are near to collapse-” Arthur sighs, “I could go on.”

“Do we have any further idea on how the beast escaped?” Uther asked, a hand to his temple.

“I regret to say, Sire, we don't,” Leon said, inclining his head.

“There must be some way to rid ourselves of this aberration. Gaius?”

Gaius fidgeted, and said, “We need a Dragonlord, Sire.”

Arthur held in a gasp.

“You know very well that's not an option.”

“Sire, what if...there was, indeed, _one_ last Dragonlord left.”

Uther sat up straight in his chair.  
“That's not possible”

“But if there was.”

Arthur’s hands tightened, nails biting into his palms.

“What are you saying?” Uther demanded.

“It may just be rumor,” Gaius said, glancing at Merlin.

“Go on.”

“I'm not exactly sure, but I think his name is Balinor.”

“Balinor-?”

“Where does he live?” Arthur asked quickly, then bit his tongue.

“He was last seen in Essetir in the border town of Enged, but that was many years ago.”

“If this man still exists, then it is our duty to find him,” Arthur said, turning to his father.

“Our treaty with Cenred no longer holds,” Uther said bluntly, “We are at war. If they discovered you beyond our border, they would kill you.”

“I will go alone-”

“No-”

“That way I will not be detected-”

“No, Arthur. It is too dangerous,” Uther said, with conviction.

“More dangerous than staying here? I'll not stand by and watch my men die when I have the chance to save them.”

“I have given you my orders!”

“Do not make this a test of wills, Father.”

“I'm not talking to you as a father, I'm talking to you as a King!”

Arthur turned away, saying, “I will ride immediately.”

Uther grabbed Arthur’s arm, forcing him to turn around.  
“My concern is for you.”

“Mine is for Camelot.”  
They stared at each other.  
After a while, Uther let go.

“I'll send word when I've found him. Merlin, prepare the horses.”

~~~~~  
They give the horses a rest upon a hill overlooking a small village.  
“This is it,” Arthur says, “One more step and we're in Cenred's kingdom. This Balinor better be worth it.”  
They were quiet for a moment, taking in the view around them and gathering up their nerves.  


“Merlin, do you think...?”

“What, Arthur?”

“Do you think this ‘Balinor’ is… the black dragon?”

Merlin had an odd, resentful look on his face. What on earth was going through his mind now?

“I don’t know.”

 _Liar_.

Well, not quite, he just wasn’t telling Arthur what he really thought. Merlin was never one to hold his tongue, what-

Arthur cringes; he had moved his hurt shoulder painfully.

“You okay?” Merlin asks, worry in his voice.

“It's just a scratch,” Arthur said gruffly.

_Look who’s lying now._

~~~~~  
Arthur and Merlin arrive in the village at night in the pouring rain. They enter the nearest Inn, which also happens to be a tavern.

The customers turn to look at them, some glaring, all noise stopped.  
Merlin looks towards Arthur, as if awaiting orders.  
So Arthur says the first thing that comes to mind.

“Greetings!”

Everyone is still watching them. A man pulls a knife out of a table without breaking eye contact with Arthur.

He represses a shiver. It’s because of the cold rain, obviously.

~~~~~  
They get a room for the night, a room with two beds. Arthur doesn’t ask Merlin to help him tonight; he doesn’t want Merlin to see how bad he’s actually hurt. The downside of this is that he’s putting even more strain on his arm.

Arthur keeps his back to Merlin, so Merlin doesn’t know it’s bleeding again. It will be fine in the morning, Arthur decides. He can stand a bit of pain.

Merlin is staring at the ceiling, _thinking_ again.

“What is wrong with you today?” Arthur asks, trying not to make his shoulder worse.  


“What?” Merlin asks.

_Does he think I’m blind?_

“It pains me to admit it, but I do enjoy your surly retorts. In fact, it's probably your only redeemable feature,” Arthur taunts, trying to start one of their tiffs.

“Thanks,” Merlin replies, not playing along.

“There are loads of servants who can serve. So few are capable of making a complete _prat_ of themselves,” Arthur smirks, and Merlin chuckles, but says nothing.  
“What is it?” Arthur asks, laying down and trying not to sound annoyed.  


“Nothing.”

“It's something. Tell me.”  
Merlin just stares at the ceiling.  
Arthur scoffs, and says, “Alright, I know I'm a Prince, so we can't be friends.”  
Merlin turned away from him. Arthur ignored the sinking feeling in his gut.  
“But if I wasn't a Prince…”  


“What?”

“Well, then...I think we'd probably get on.”  
Arthur wasn’t sure, being only able to see Merlin’s back, but he swore Merlin was smiling.  


“So?”

“So that means you can tell me,” Arthur said smugly.

“Well, that's true. But you see, if you weren't a Prince, I'd tell you to mind your own damn business.”  


“Merlin!”

They laid like that, in silence, for a while.  
Arthur took a chance again, and asked, “Are you missing Gaius?”  


“Something like that.”

“Well, what is it, then?”  
The idiot _still_ wouldn’t answer!  
Arthur grabbed one of his extra pillows and tossed it at Merlin, hitting him square in the face.

Merlin sighs, “I'll tell you.”  
So Arthur waited.  
“I'm worried about everyone back in Camelot. I hope they're alright,” Merlin said finally.

Arthur sighed. Why did he even try? If Merlin didn’t want to tell him anything, what was the point?  
“So do I,” he said sadly.


	21. The Last Dragonlord, part 2

Arthur and Merlin have been wandering the woods a while, trying to locate Balinor’s cave. They decided to give their horses a break, leading them by foot.  
It seemed like a good idea at the time.  
Before Merlin caught Arthur stumbling.

“It's all right,” Arthur insists, as Merlin slows to a halt.

“No, it's the wound. Let me have a look.”

“I’m perfectly alright Merlin now would you just-”  
Merlin grabbed Arthur’s arm, and he winced, face paling at the touch.

Merlin raised an eyebrow at Arthur.

“It’s fine. Nothing I can’t handle,” Arthur said stubbornly.

“Let me see it!”

“No!”

“It’s either me now, or Gwen and Gaius later. Who would you rather deal with?”  
Arthur mumbled something that sounded like “Gwen.”  
“Arthur…” Merlin pleaded, using his doe-eyes.

Arthur quickly faltered under Merlin’s gaze.  
“Alright, fine.”  
Arthur lowered himself onto a fallen tree and let Merlin help him take his shirt off.

“Gods, Arthur…” Merlin said, looking at the blood-soaked bandages, “You should be resting! You should have sent Leon or some other capable Knight to-”

“I’m perfectly capable of continuing this quest, _Mer_ lin. It’s just a scratch.”

“Just a-” Merlin bit his tongue.

“It needs to be re-dressed."  
As he went to grab his med-bag from his horse, Merlin muttered, “Stupid prat thinks he’s immortal…”

“I heard that!”

“Shut up, cabbage-head.”

Arthur was going to retort, but a sudden rush of pain effectively shut him up.  
He hunched over, head leaning on his hand.  
They sit in silence for a while, the only sounds being Arthur’s heavy breathing and hissing, whenever Merlin accidentally touches the skin around the wound, as Merlin tightens the new bandages.

_Crraack!_

Both men freeze.

“Get down! _Get down_!” Merlin says, pulling Arthur down behind the fallen tree. Arthur falls with a _whump!_ sound, one that Merlin hopes didn’t hurt his shoulder too bad.

A patrol of Cenred’s men pass; Knights of Essetir. The two stay silent as they pass.

“Arthur?” Merlin asks, when he’s sure the men have gone.  
He doesn’t reply.  
Merlin shakes him, calling his name again.  
Arthur doesn’t wake.  
Merlin sits up, leaning against the tree.  
“Oh, hell.”

~~~~~  
Merlin decides to leaves Arthur alone, for just a moment. He can’t bring the horses into the cave. He travels down the familiar path, towards the sound of rushing water.

His footsteps echo off the cave walls.  
“Hello?!” he calls.

Something grabs him from behind, spinning him around-  
“Merlin?” Balinor asks, surprised.

“Father,” Merlin smiles, embracing the man.

Hugging back, he asks, “Merlin, What are you doing here? You’re not-”

“My friend, he's hurt! He needs help!”

Balinor’s eyes widen, “Show me.”

~~~~~  
“What happened to him?" Balinor asks, rubbing a paste onto Arthur’s wound.

“Kilgharrah,” Merlin admits, looking anywhere but at his father.

“So he’s finally escaped?”  
Merlin nodded.  
Balinor raises his hand over Arthur, chanting, “ _Ahlúttre þá séocnes. Þurh- hæle bræd._ He needs rest.”

“Will he be alright?”

“By morning.”

Merlin let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.  
“Thank you.”

“What are you doing here, Merlin,” Balinor asks once again, resting a hand on Merlin’s shoulder.

“Kilgharrah is attacking Camelot… Uther requests your help.”

Balinor scoffed.  
“I’m sure he does.”

“Please, Father! I’m not strong enough to control Kilgharrah! He- he's killing innocent people. Women and children- My friends are in danger!"

“You want me to protect _Uther_?” Balinor scowled.

“No, never,” Merlin insisted, “Just Camelot. No matter what he has done, his people, his son-” Merlin glanced at Arthur, “-they're innocent. Please,” he begged.

Balinor sighed, shoulders drooping.  
“I’ll think about it,” he said finally.

“Thank-!”

“Help me get dinner made, Merlin,” Balinor said, starting a smokeless fire with a flash of his eyes.  
Merlin hurried to obey.

~~~~~  
“I feel great! What the hell did you give me?” Arthur exclaimed, sitting next to Merlin.

“It's all thanks to Balinor,” he replied.

“So we found him, then? Thank heaven for that,” Arthur said, rubbing his wound- rather, the spot where his wound _used_ to be. But he wasn’t going to tell Merlin that.

“You still need to rest, Boy,” Balinor said, eyeing Arthur warily as he walked over to them.

Arthur didn’t know how to respond to that so he simply said, “Thank you.”  
He could practically feel Merlin’s jaw drop.  
“Shut up, _Mer_ lin.”

“But I didn’t say anything!”

“You were going to.”

“Prat.”

“Idiot,” Arthur said, hitting Merlin ‘round the head.

“Prat-”  


Balinor cleared his throat, trying not to laugh at the two of them.  
“You’re welcome.”

~~~~~  
Camelot is as busy as ever, busier than usual in fact.  
People are carrying buckets of water through the lower town, to put out the fires from the attack the night before.  
Even with at the hustle and bustle, the Castle is strangely quiet.

Gwen gazes across Camelot from the battlements with tear-stained cheeks. She almost doesn’t notice Gaius approaching.

“You missing Morgana?” he asks.  
She nods silently.  
“She's stronger than people think. I believe that, wherever she is, she'll be alright,” he said reassuringly.

“And Arthur?” she says quietly, so quiet that Gaius almost doesn’t hear her.

“You care a lot for him, don't you?”

Gwen turned away from Gaius’s knowing gaze.  
“Everyone does.”

“I think he cares the same way about you,” he smiled.  
She visibly tensed, smiling awkwardly.  
“It's alright, I won't tell anyone.”

“I know we can never be,” she sighs, gazing out towards the horizon.

“Well, the world's a strange place, Guinevere. Never underestimate the power of love. I've seen it change many things.”

She looks passed the castle gates, hoping that she’ll see her Arthur ridding back; Merlin right on his heels, Morgana following in their wake, the three of them laughing about something ridiculous.  
It’s so quiet without them.  
Her hands pale as she grasps the wall, perhaps too tightly.

~~~~~  
“...I always thought that silence would be a blessing with you, but I find it just as irritating. You're a riddle, Merlin,” Arthur said, trying to strike up conversation again.

“A riddle?” Merlin smiles.

“Yes. But I've got to quite like you.”

“Really Arthur?”

“Of course! Now that I realize you're not as big a fool as you look.”

“Yeah, I feel the same. Now that I realize you're not as arrogant as you sound.”

“You still think I'm arrogant?” Arthur gasped dramatically, a hand hitting his chest.  
_Finally._

“No. More...supercilious,” Merlin smirked.

“That's a big word, Merlin. You sure you know what it means?”

“Condescending.”

“Very good!” Arthur said, patting Merlin on the back.

“Patronizing,” he continued.

“It doesn't quite mean that.”

“No, these are other things you are.”

“Hang on!”

“Overbearing. Very overbearing.”

“Merlin!” Arthur laughed.

“But you wanted me to talk!”

A bag drops in front of them, making both the boys jump. They look up simultaneously, to see Balinor looking down at them, arms crossed.  
“Pack up, we’re leaving,” he said, walking away.

“So you will return to Camelot with us?” Arthur asks, at the same time Merlin says, “What, now?”

“Yes, now,” he replied, speaking to both of them, “There are some in Camelot who risked their lives for me. I owe a debt that must be repaid.”

“If you succeed in killing the dragon, you will not go unrewarded,” Arthur said.  
Both Balinor and Merlin scoffed at that.

_What did I say?_

“I seek no reward,” Balinor says.

Arthur could have sworn he heard Merlin say, under his breath, “The only reward Uther will _try_ to give him is death.”  
Arthur shivered.

~~~~~  
Cenred’s patrol came upon them quickly; one second, everything was quiet, the next-  
Arthur fought off two men at once, losing sight of Merlin and Balinor.  


_Block, block, parry, dodge, strike, block-_  
The sounds of metal hitting metal all around them.  


“No!” he hears Balinor scream from somewhere, he can’t turn to look-  


He stabs one of the men in the gut-  


“ _AAHHHH!!_ ”  


Was that Merlin?!  


_Block, dodge, block, strike-_  


~~~~~  
“Please, no, no. Please. I can save you. I-” Merlin cried, _begged._

“Listen to me, Merlin. When you face Kilgharrah, remember: be strong,” Balinor gasped, grasping Merlin’s arms.

“I- _I can't_ \- can’t do it alone. I’m not strong enough!”

“You _are_ , Merlin. Oh, my son. My son- you can do it, I know you can. I know that you will make me proud. You are so strong. I believe in you.”  
Balinor’s eyes glazed over, like glass, as his head fell back, limp in his son’s arms.

“No. Father,” Merlin sobs, gasps, cries, wails, “No. Please, no. _No!"  
" **Noooooo**_ ”


	22. The Last Dragonlord, end

Merlin looks awful. Anyone who looks at him can tell something is up. Arthur is getting increasingly worried.  
They stand in front of the War Room doors, ready to report to the King that… they failed.  
Arthur looks at Merlin one more time.

“Merlin, go see Gaius.”

He does nothing, just stands there with his head down.  
Arthur nudges him, and Merlin looks up, rings under his eyes.  
“Go see Gaius, Merlin,” he orders.

Merlin’s brow furrows, and he replies, “But… we have to report to the-”

“I can handle it, Merlin. You could use some rest. Go. That’s an order.”  
Merlin stares at Arthur, then nods, shuffling away with his head down.  
Arthur rolls his shoulders back and gathers his resolve. This was not going to be easy.

~~~~~  
“Merlin?” Gaius says, surprised, when his ward opens the door.

Merlin ignores him; he goes straight to his room and sits on his bed.  
He grabs a little wooden Dragon from his window sill, eyes rimmed with unshed tears.  
Gaius walks into Merlin’s room a few moments later, and sits next to him.

“Merlin, what happened?”

“I- I couldn't save him. I- I can’t- I can’t do anything! I can’t save anyone! Will, Morgana, my Father, Camelot-”

“Merlin-”

“I’m useless, Gaius!” Merlin wails, crying into his hands, “What’s the point of these powers if I can’t protect those I care about!”

“Merlin-”

“He took a blade for me, he- he didn’t even _protect himself_ , didn’t form his scales, just pushed me out of the way with no _shield_. There was _nothing_ I could do- and Arthur was- Arthur doesn’t understand, _couldn’t_ understand, _**can’t**_ understand- my magic is _useless_ against Kilgharrah! I'm not strong enough without him!”

Gaius didn’t know what to say.

~~~~~  
It was later in the day, when Merlin and Arthur finally saw each other again. Arthur explained everything that happened in the meeting, and requested that Merlin help him get into his armor.

“Well, look on the bright side, Merlin. Chances are you're not going to have to clean this again,” Arthur joked halfheartedly.

“You must be careful today,” Merlin said, ignoring the joke as he check to make sure everything was on correctly. “Do not force the battle.”

“Yes, Sire!”

“I'm serious.”

Arthur rolled his eyes, “I can hear that.”

“Let matters take their course.”

“Merlin, if I die, please…”

“What?”

…  
What was he going to say? Don’t mourn me, Merlin? Be happy without me, Merlin? Look after Gwen? Promise not to get any smarter?  
Arthur just let it hang in the air. Maybe Merlin would figure out what he meant to say.  
He almost said the advice his father gave to him, that he tells all his young Knights, that ' _No man is worth your tears_.'  
But this is Merlin, he’s… different. He's not a Knight. It wouldn’t help him, would it? He’s too... empathetic.

Merlin finished checking over Arthur’s armor, and gave him the go-ahead.

Arthur picked up one of his finest swords-  
Why was Merlin picking up a blade?  
“What are you doing?” Arthur asked, exasperated.

Merlin looked at him like he was crazy.  
“I'm coming with you.”

 _Of all the stupid, loyal-_  
“Merlin, the chances are I'm going to _die_.”

“Yeah. Yeah, you probably would if I wasn't there,” Merlin laughed.

“...Right,” Arthur smiled.

“Do you know how many times I've had to save your royal backside?”

“Well at least you got your sense of humor back.”  
Arthur _clangs!_ their swords together, expecting Merlin to drop his as he walked to the door.  
But Merlin followed him, sword in hand.

Arthur stopped in his tracks, just looking at his idiot friend.  
“Are you really going to face this dragon with me?” he asked, partly exasperated, partly hopeful.

“I'm not going to sit here and watch! I know it's hard for you to understand how I feel, but…”  
He didn’t need to say the words.  
“...well, I care a hell of a lot about that armor, I'm not going to let you mess it up.  


Arthur laughed, and Merlin laughed with him.

Then it was silent, the two of them realizing what they were setting out to do.  
Arthur closed his eyes, for a moment.  
He opened them, and gave Merlin a friendly shove on their way out.

~~~~~  
It was one of those moments where you could feel everything.  
The only light source was the full moon above sending a silvery-blue glow into the courtyard.

Arthur could feel the rough linens on his skin.  
He could feel the weight of the cold metal, the scratchiness of chain mail on his neck, his arms.  
His helmet stuck to his head with sweat.  
The wind blew cold against the few places his skin was exposed.  
His chest feels tight, like something is pressing against it.  
His fingers twitched upon his lance, with adrenaline and tension, his own strength making his fingers throb.  
He could feel the horse wiggling underneath him, bored with the stillness.  
He could hear the rustling of cloth, the quiet clink of metal on metal.  
He could hear his uneven, short, shallow breaths, the Knights breathing, the horses snorting.  
He could hear the bugs singing.  
It was so loud, yet, so quiet.

In a weird way, he could feel the presence of every man around him.  
Especially Merlin, who was right by his side, where he always was.

He hated the waiting, waiting for something to come after them. He always struck first.

There it is- the sound of the Great Dragon’s wings beating.

Closer, closer.

Closer.

He could feel his horse tense.  
All other sounds seemed to stop.

Closer.

The horses try to move, but the Knights stay in formation.  
“Hold firm,” Arthur said, but they needed no orders.  
Closer, the dragon swooping down to meet them-  
“Hold!”

Closer-

“Hold!”

Several horses whinnied in fright-

“ _Now!”_

The Knights scatter as the dragon lands where they had previously stood, missing with its claws. They from a circle around it, attempting to entrap it-  
The dragon swung out it’s tail, knocking the horse out from under Arthur. He hissed as he hit the ground, chain mail biting into his skin. Merlin falls down beside him, along with Leon.  
So much for that plan.

It opens its mouth, snapping at various Knights as they attempt to strike it.

It takes out half of his men with _fire_ , roasting them _alive_ and lighting the ground on fire.

“No, Stop!” Merlin begs, as the Dragon turns towards them.  
Merlin decides to do something _completely_ stupid: he grabs Leon’s fallen lance and sprints towards the beast, screaming.  
The Dragon looks at him with disdain, and hits Merlin full on with its tail, sending him flying into the forest.  


“ _ **Merlin**!_ ” Arthur yells, torn between running after his friend and staying with the Knights.  


The Dragon has turned its attention to Arthur. Shaking, Arthur picks up his lance, waiting for the right moment.

The Dragon sends a stream of fire at him, and Arthur ducks out of the way. He manages to get close to the dragon, landing a hit to its side.  
It _rooooars_ , kicking Arthur away. He flies through the air, back hitting the trunk of a tree. His vision blurs.

Some of his Knights rush to his side; Leon, Gregory, Yaromir. Gregory and Yaromir got in position in front of Arthur protectively, while Leon made sure he was okay.

The Dragon stalks closer to them, opening its mouth wide-

Something _big_ came out of the forest, slamming into the dragon.

Arthur got to his feet as the new creature stood before him, between the Dragon and himself.  
“Sorry I'm late, Sire,” it said, golden Pendragon Crest gleaming in the firelight.  
Arthur smirks at the looks on his Knight’s faces.

“Sire… is that…?” Leon asked.

“Back down, Emrys!” the golden dragon yells, “You have no chance to defeat me.”

Emrys growls, “You attacked my King. I don't care how much stronger you are. This ends now!”  
Emrys turns towards Arthur, and says, “Stay back,” taking off into the sky, the golden dragon following him.

Arthur and the remaining Knights watch the fight with awe.  
“Sire, your Dragon-”

“Emrys.”

“Emrys- he can’t win. The black dragon is half the size of the Great Dragon. It's not-”

“Have faith, Sir Logan,” Arthur said, cringing as Emrys was almost struck.

Emrys and the Great Dragon circled each other, in a strange, dance like fight.  
Emrys dives towards the golden dragon, but it dodges out of the way, sending a stream of fire at Emrys, who barely swerves out of it’s path.  
It goes for Emrys’ tail, and misses, much too close for Arthur’s liking.  
Emrys swoops in close, and-  
He lands a hit on the Great Dragon! Three long slashes appear in the webbing of its left wing. Enraged, it lashes out-

“Watch out-!”

“No!”

“ _Emrys!_ ”

Emrys took a direct hit to the side, the force of it knocking him out of the sky. He hits the ground with a sickening _THUMP!_  
Emrys’ side was nearly covered by three huge gashes made by the Great Dragon’s claws. He struggles to lay up, glaring daggers at the one flying above.  
He tries to get to his feet, but stumbles back down with a hiss.

Arthur felt his heart drop into his stomach, wanting to do something, anything-  
There was a flurry of movement in the corner of his eye.

Arthur gasps as little Aithusa, bigger than he remembered but smaller than a human, flew in between Emrys and the Great Dragon. He crouched on four legs, wings extended, _growling_ at the Great Dragon.

“Aithusa, no!” Emrys half-yelled, half-begged.

“Move, fledgling,” the Great Dragon commands, glaring at the tiny creature.

Aithusa stood his ground.

The Great Dragon rears its head back, yelling, “If you do not move I will make you!”  
It raises its arm, claws extended-

“ _Nooo!!_ ” Emrys roars, with golden eyes.  
“ _Dracan! Nán dyd ǽlc áciere miss! Eftsíðas eom ála cræt!_ ”  
The Great Dragon shakes its head from side to side, claws retracting.  
“ _Géate' stǽr ábære gárrǽs! Géate cyre. Mé tácen átende diegollice. Car grise áþes._ ”  
With a scowl on its face, the Great Dragon landed, _bowing_ before Emrys.

Eyes still glowing gold, Emrys nods towards the discarded lances, taking control of them and making them surround the golden dragon.

The two stare at each other with bated breath, everyone waiting for Emrys to make his move.

“Go!” Emrys yells suddenly, “Leave! If you ever attack Camelot again, I will kill you!”

The lances drop; Kilgharrah hesitantly flies off.

Aithusa runs to Emrys’ side, making worried chirping noises. He breathes gold mist onto the slashes in Emrys’ side, helping to stop the bleeding and making it scab over.  
Emrys nuzzles Aithusa close as Arthur and his Knights walk over.

“What happened?” Arthur asks.

Emrys catches Arthur’s eye.  
Then, he laughs in relief. “I actually did it. I sent him away. I controlled the Great Dragon. I didn’t think I could.”

Arthur crosses his arms.  
“Where were you?”

Sighing, he replies, “I didn't think I could...I knew you were heading for- for Balinor. He is- was much stronger than I. He would have… I actually beat Kilgharrah.” he giggled.

Aithusa chitters, eyeing the Knights with interest.  
“It’s alright, Aithusa,” Emrys said, nudging the fledgling.  
He flew over to Arthur, positively beaming. Arthur pets Aithusa’s head carefully.

Leon cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention.

“Oh,” Arthur said, balancing Aithusa on one arm, “This is the Dragonlord Emrys, my loyal ally.”

“Are you sure we can trust it?” one of the newer Knights asks.  
Arthur raises an eyebrow at him, and the Knight looked away.  
“I’m sure. He’s been saving my life for the last two years, and he just saved Camelot.”

“Sire, won’t the Great Dragon come back?”

“No,” Emrys said, “As long as I live my command will hold, Kilgharrah will stay away from Camelot.”  
This was all the reassurance Arthur needed.  
He moved to inspect Emrys’ wounds. “This looks bad.”

“I heal fast,” Emrys said, standing up on shaking legs, “Until next time, my King.”  
He bowed, and with a glance, called Aithusa to his side. They took off into the air, Emrys a little slower than usual.

~~~~~  
The Knights start a search for their missing comrades. They find a few Knights, dazed or unconscious in the forest.  
But Merlin finds them first.

“Arthur!” Merlin calls, stumbling over a root.

“ _Mer_ lin!” Arthur yells in relief, running over to catch Merlin.

“You’re not dead after all,” he jokes.

“Neither are you, idiot,” Arthur smiles, patting Merlin on the back.  
Merlin winced.  
“You alright?” Arthur asks, worried.

“Just a few bruises, maybe a sprain. Nothing to worry about,” he replied, waving Arthur off. He walked a few paces then tripped over his own feet, falling face-first; Arthur caught him.

“Right. You are going straight to Gaius when we get back,” Arthur ordered, slinging one of Merlin’s arms over his shoulders.  
Everything was going to be fine.


	23. Reunion

Morgana recovers slowly. She wakes up for a few hours at a time, in the beginning. Morgause is always there, by her side.  
Morgana wants to have a talk with her, but her throat is still sore from the poison and she can barely say a few words at a time.  
She doesn’t know how long she's been gone.  
She wants to go home.

~~~~~  
Three and a half weeks. It’s been three and a half weeks since… everything.  
Since losing Morgana.  
Since Kilgharrah’s attack.  
Since Balinor…  
King Uther has sent out hundreds of patrols, looking for Morgana. None have succeeded.

Merlin’s been so busy he’s barely had time to think.  
He and Arthur have just returned from a week-long patrol, coming back empty handed.

Merlin slowly walks into Gaius’s chambers, hopeful eyes meeting his, and looking away when he knows the truth.

“They started bleeding again,” Merlin said, holding on to his side.

Gaius gave him a disapproving look, making him sit down and lift his shirt up.  
“You really shouldn’t be going out with Arthur in your condition. If he knew-” Gaius said, inspecting the three parallel gashes.

“If he knew, he’d figure out who I am,” Merlin winced, “Besides, we have to find her. I have to-”

“It’s not your fault, Merlin.”

Merlin sighed as Gaius went to grab new bandages, they’ve had this talk before. It was pointless to have it again.  
“Why won’t it heal, Gaius?” Merlin asks.

“I’m not sure. Normally your quickened healing would have made these gashes scars by now. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Kilgharrah is a dragon? It could be messing with your magic.”

Merlin winced again as Gaius re-bandaged him tightly.  
“Arthur gave me the day off.”

“Good. you can rest.”

“Actually-”

“Merlin,” Gaius said sternly.

“I need to let my magic out, I’ve been holding it in for ages. I’ll only be gone a few hours, promise. I’ll pretend I’m gathering herbs.”

Gaius sighed. “Do be careful, Merlin.”

~~~~~  
“Morgause,” Morgana called, “Morgause.”

“Yes? What is is sister?” Morgause said, appearing next to her, “Here, drink this tea,” she shoved the tea into Morgana’s hands.

Morgana did as told, then said, “I want to go back.”

Morgause took a step back, confused.  
“Go back?”

“Back to Camelot.”

“Why on earth would you want to go back there?” Morgause asked, appalled, “Back under the hateful eyes of Uther, back under the scorn for our people, back to that _serving boy-_ ”

“Merlin didn’t poison me, he saved me!” Morgana yelled, then winced, a hand rubbing her throat as she drank more tea.

“Have you forgotten what happened, sister?” Morgause asked, “That boy _poisoned_ you-”

“ _Merlin_ gave you the antidote. I poisoned myself!” Morgana nearly yelled. She took another drink.

“What!? Sister, why would you do such a thing? No, the poison must have messed with your mind-”

“I want Uther dead, but not at the cost of my friends. I know I was the source of the spell, and you didn’t tell me! You used me to harm Camelot!”

“Camelot is-”

“Don’t you dare insult my home. Camelot may be corrupted by Uther, but there are many who are friends of magic. I want Uther gone so _Arthur_ can be King! He will bring magic back to Camelot!”

“You side with someone who kills sorcerers on sight?”

“I side with someone _poisoned_ by his father, who can be saved. I side with a man who is like a _brother_ to me, one who doesn’t lie to me, one who doesn’t trick me, one who doesn’t drive me to drink _poison_! No, Morgause, I don’t want to stay here. I don't want to stay with _you_. Arthur is more my brother than you will ever be my sister. _I choose real family over blood,_ ” Morgana cried, grabbing the bracelet off her arm and throwing it at Morgause.

Morgause’s knuckles were white with anger.  
“...Fine,” she said finally, “Go back. I won’t make you stay. But I promise you, Morgana, you will come to see it my way. You were meant to rule by my side. Go back, but good luck finding your way!” Morgause yelled, “ _Discede_!”  
Morgana’s world went black…

~~~~~  
Merlin could _feel_ something pulling on his magic.  
It didn’t seem threatening, but he decided not to lead whatever it was to Aithusa. So he found a relatively clear area of the forest and started to actually gather herbs, waiting.

Merlin sighed. His magic was doing things on it’s own again; he could see the plants around him growing quickly just because he was there.  
At least he wasn’t in the city.

The thing pulling on his magic was getting stronger.  
Or was it getting closer?

_Crack!_

Merlin turned quickly to look behind him, dropping his bag.

_russlerussle_

There was something in the trees. He stood tall, waiting…

“Merlin!” it said, gasping.

“...Morgana?” he asked, stunned as she ran at him. He caught her in his arms, holding her close as she breathed heavily into his shoulder.

“It worked. The locator spell worked! I found you, I found you-”

“I’m right here, Morgana,” he said, rubbing her back, “How-” he gasped, the biggest smile on his face as he held back tears, “-what happened?”

“I- I left. She let me leave. I came back, I didn’t want to- I wanted to stay with you.”

“With me?” he smirked, looking her in the eyes.

“And Arthur and Gwen and Leon and- oh shut up!” she said, a light flush to her cheeks as she smacked his chest.  
“I’m back now. I wasn’t really- how long has it been?”

“Over three weeks. Arthur is worried sick,” Merlin turned towards the castle, “We should-”

“No!” she said, grabbing his arm.  
He looked back at her, confused.  
“... not yet. I’m not ready to… hide again. But I can’t wait to see them again, I- oh, why is this so complicated?”

“It’s alright, Morgana, we’ll stay out here until you want to go. Would you like to sit?” he asked, and vines sprouted out of the ground, forming a bench.  
Morgana giggled, sitting down and smoothing out her skirt.

“What spell was that?” she asked.

“I- uh-” Merlin rubbed the back of his neck, “-it wasn’t? My magic just does what I want sometimes,” he sat next to her.

They smiled awkwardly at each other.  
“I’m really glad you’re back, Morgana,” he said, looking away, “I…”

“I missed you too.”  
They caught each other’s eyes again.

“I love you,” Merlin said quickly.

They both froze, still as statues.

Then Merlin broke away, walking a few feet away with his face in his hands and making a high-pitched squeal.

Morgana just sat there, still frozen. She stared off, blinking repeatedly. She couldn’t figure out what to do with her hands.

Merlin ran a hand through his hair.

They looked at each other.  
Briskly, they came together again, Morgana ran towards him and Merlin picked her up and spun her around in a circle, laughing. He put her down.  
They blinked.

They quickly let go of each other and walked in opposite directions.

' _No way no way no way-_ ' thought Merlin.

' _I- I can’t believe- I can’t- that just happened-!_ ' Morgana brushed her hair back out of her face.

They made eye contact.  
He slowly approached her.

She turned away.

He stopped, hand outstretched.

She looked back at him.  


He closed the distance, wrapping his arms around her waist and looking into her eyes, each with the widest smiles on their faces.  
She put her arms around his neck.  
He put his hand on her cheek, rubbing her cheek bone with his thumb.  
Their foreheads touched.

“I love you too.”

They broke apart again-  
Merlin ran, hiding behind a tree, breathing heavily.  
Morgana stumbled onto the bench.

' _Did I just- did I-_ '

' _She just- she actually-_ '  
Merlin giggled uncontrollably.  
Morgana fixed her hair, blushing furiously.

Blood-red roses started blooming, growing out of the ground and the trees.

Merlin peaked his head from around the tree.  
Morgana smoothed out the skirt of her dress.  
He slowly walked towards her.  
She turned away.  
He sat next to her.  
He scooted closer.  
Their hands touched.  
It was like they had both been shocked- they jumped.

They made eye contact.  
They giggled, blushing ruby.  
They held hands.  
He leaned in.  
So did she.  
Their lips met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> asdfghjkl <3  
> writing this was fun :)  
> It was inspired by a couple of friends of mine.


	24. Returning to Camelot

Merlin and Morgana stay in the clearing for hours. They’re laying in the grass side by side, just watching the sky, when they realize the sun is beginning to set.

“Merlin, how are we going to explain my return? No one will believe you rescued me,” she says, turning to look at him.

“Thanks, Morgana,” he replied, looking affronted.

“You’ve made everyone think you’re an idiot who can’t defend himself, let alone handle a sword! Well, almost everyone,” she said in her defense.

“That’s mostly Arthur’s fault,” he pouted, “but it does make my cover easier. We’ll think of something.”  
Merlin stood up and held a hand out for Morgana to take. Helping her up he said, “The two of us together can accomplish anything.”  
He kissed her hand.

She blushed and took her hand away, saying “You’re going to have to control yourself, Merlin. No one can know about us. If Uther-”

“Trust me, I know,” Merlin insisted, taking her hand again, “What’s one more life-ending secret to hide?” he said, gesticulating with his other hand, a big goofy grin on his face.  
Morgana hid a giggle behind her hand.

“Come on, it’s getting dark. We should-” he started to walk, but Morgana stood fast.  
“Morgana?” he asked, turning towards her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head in his shoulder.  
“Just a moment longer,” she mumbled.

He sighed, relaxing into her hold and wrapping his arms around her. He rubbed her lower back.  
“Just a moment more,” he agreed.

She inhaled, pulling back slightly and gazing into his eyes.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

Before she could respond, Merlin _slumped_ in her arms. A rock had come out of nowhere, and it hit him on the side of the head.  
He stumbled, falling onto the bench as men came out of the forest around them. The had swords and bows, there were so _many_ -

Morgana held her hand out, screaming, “ _Forbearnan_!” she sent fireball after fireball at the men.

Merlin’s vision was blurred. His head was swimming. They were in danger, he knew, he had to do something-  
He made men drop their swords with a glace, calling a fallen one to his side with a flash of his golden eyes. He and Morgana stood back to back, defending each other.  
These bounty hunters were good, smarter and stronger than the ones they had faced before. Many of Merlin and Morgana’s attacks missed, partially because of the enemy’s skill, partially because of Merlin’s head wound.

He realized the wetness on the side of his head wasn’t just sweat.  
Hell, he couldn’t focus; the fight was _exhausting_ , the attacks came at them from all sides, his side was stinging again-  
He heard Morgana scream in pain-  
“Morgana!” he yelled, turning to look at her-  
His world went black.

~~~~~  
Morgana awoke slowly. She was moving, no, the floor under her was moving?  
She opened her eyes.  
Oh. She was in a cage. A rather big cage. It was on wheels; it was surrounded by men. Bounty hunters?  
This was not good.  
It took her a moment to notice that someone was in the cage with her.

“Merlin!" she cried, rushing to his side. The chains attached to her wrist clinked as she brushed the hair out of his face. The side of his head was covered in blood; his side was bleeding too.  
“Oh god.” she stifled a sob and shook him gently, “Merlin, wake up!”

She couldn’t rouse him.

Morgana moved Merlin’s head into her lap

The cage slowed to a halt- the men were setting up camp.

She heard snippets of conversation-

“...sell them for a lot in Camelot, they must be well known, did you see-?”

“...don’t worry, those magic-blocking shackles can stop even the strongest sorcerer-”

“... killed nearly half our men…”

A camp was soon set up, a few fires roaring.  
Everyone was ignoring Morgana and Merlin; they didn’t seem to care if Merlin was alive or not.  
At least they didn’t realize she was the King’s Ward, right?  
She stifled a sob.

The fires grew dim, and the men went to sleep; a few stayed awake on watch duty.  
Merlin still wouldn’t wake.  
Morgana leaned back against the bars, in despair. She forced her eyes open, trying to not succumb to sleep.

The guard watching them promptly keeled over.

“Lady Morgana,” a voice whispered, from the side of the cage facing out into the forest.

She craned her neck to look, seeing three strange men… no, one was familiar.  
“Lancelot?” she gasped, as he hurriedly shushed her.

“We’re getting you out of here,” he said, as one of his companions started to pick the lock.

“How did you-?”

“We heard someone scream your name, so we came running. We’ve been following for a while, waiting for the right moment. What happened?”

“I don’t know, they- I-”  
_Don’t mention the magic._  
“Please, he’s hurt,” she whispered, as the cage sprang open, “I can’t wake him!”

“Merlin?” Lancelot’s eyes widened at the sight. He carefully took him from Morgana’s arms; she let go reluctantly.

“C’mon princess, we have to move,” said the one who picked the lock. She slid out of the cage and tried to stand, but swayed from side to side. She held onto the cart for support.

“May I carry you, my Lady?” asked the third. He was a huge man, quite tall, with the biggest arms Morgana had ever seen.  
She nodded, and he carefully lifted her up, cradling her into his chest as they ran.<.p>

~~~~~  
They reach Camelot on horseback, Lancelot supporting Merlin and the stranger supporting Morgana.  
The sun had begun to rise as they raced into the castle courtyard.  
The Knights rushed into action; Merlin was taken from Lancelot and taken straight to the infirmary, Morgana was swiftly taken to her chambers.

~~~~~  
“You need to rest,” Gaius says to Morgana, as she tries to sit up in bed.

“Please, Gaius, don’t let Uther in. I don’t want to see him yet- I mean, I don’t want to see anyone. Please. Except you, Gwen,” Morgana begged, turning her head to look at her maidservant.

“I'll stay with her,” Gwen said to Gaius, helping Morgana back down.

He nodded, “I’ll come back soon.”

As he turned to leave, Morgana begged, “Please look after Merlin, I need to know if he’s alright, you must stay with him.”

“As you wish, Lady Morgana.”

~~~~~  
“... we were traveling through your lands, Sire, when we heard screaming. Someone yelled the name of Lady Morgana and we ran to see what was going on. The boy, Merlin, was trying to reach the Lady Morgana and made a huge racket to draw the attention of anyone nearby. Her captors hit him on the head to shut him up. We would not have found her if not for him. We waited until nightfall and broke her out of her cage.”

“What happened to her Kidnappers?” King Uther asked.

“Most likely they are right where we left them,” Lancelot replied, “Nearly three leagues to the west.”

The King called a Knight to his side, and commanded that they go search the area.  
“I thank you for rescuing my ward, and you will each be rewarded in due time. You are dismissed.”

The three men bowed, and left the hall.

Lancelot leaned against a nearby wall, sighing in relief.

“What wrong, Lance?”

“King Uther forgot that he banished me,” he smiled in response, “I’m not dead.”

“Is that why the Prince looked at you like that?” the man said, grinning from ear to ear, “I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head.”  
The tall man shook his head at the other one, smiling.  
“What about your friend?” he asked Lancelot, “Perhaps we should check up on him.”

“I doubt Merlin is awake, Gaius said he would be out for hours.”

“There’s no harm in visiting, now is there?” he insisted.  
People began pouring out of the courtroom, chattering and going their separate ways.

“Lancelot!” a voice called, making the man freeze.

“Sire,” he bowed, as Arthur walked towards them.

“Get up, Lancelot, there is no need. I’m just glad you still have your head. What are you doing in Camelot?”

“I was just passing through, with my friends,” he gestured, “Gwaine and Percival.”

“How do you do, Princess?” Gwaine said, bowing with too much gusto.

“Ignore him,” said Percival, “It’s an honor, sire.”

“Please, call me Arthur,” he said extending his hand.

“Arthur it is, then,” Percival smiled, taking Arthur’s hand.

“About your rewards-” Arthur started.

“Stop right there,” said Gwaine, “Keep your money. We didn’t save the Lady for a reward.”

“He’s right,” Lancelot confirmed.

“Are you sure?” Arthur asked.

“We’re sure,” Gwaine said coldly.

Arthur raised an eyebrow at Gwaine, but said nothing.  
“Ever the noble man, Lancelot,” Arthur smiled, clapping him on the back, “Hopefully you can stay for longer this time. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go check up on my manservant.”

“We’ll go with you,” Lancelot said, matching Arthur’s steps as the walked, Gwaine and Percival following behind, “Have you seen him yet?”

“No, I haven’t. The King has been keeping me busy.”

Lancelot could see the worry in Arthur’s eyes, something he doubted Gwaine would notice.  
“Gaius said he will recover but… there was a lot of blood. He doesn’t look good.”

Arthur nodded, biting his tongue in worry.  
Percival and Gwaine shared a look.

~~~~~  
Merlin woke up with a pounding headache. What had he done this time?  
It was always something-  
“Morgana!” Merlin yelled, sitting up in bed. He grabbed his head, groaning.

“Sit back, Merlin,” Gaius said, rushing to his side, “You lost a lot of blood.”

“Ugh, my head…”

“Still alive, then?” asked a familiar voice, from a chair across the room.

“Prat.”

“You’ve been out nearly two days.”

“Is that true?” Merlin asked, looking to Gaius, who nodded.

“I’ll leave you two alone. Make him eat that, would you?” Gaius said to Arthur, gesturing at a bowl on Merlin’s bedside table as he left.

“So the coward has some bravery in him after all. Morgana told us what you did.”

“She’s alright?”

“She’s fine. Mostly. You came out worse.”  
After a quiet moment, Merlin asked, “How did we escape?”

“Lancelot heard you yelling like a little girl and came running,” Arthur smirked.  
“He brought a few friends with him.”

“Lancelot’s back?” Merlin asked, brightening slightly.

“For a while, maybe even for good. The King seems to have forgotten he banished him.”

Merlin laughed in relief.  
“That’s good then.”

“Unfortunately, I can’t make him a Knight. But I have been meaning to give him and his friends positions as castle guards, if they’ll take it.”

“That’s kind of you,” Merlin said, grabbing the soup from the table and putting it in his ap.  
There was another quiet moment.  


“What were you thinking, you idiot!?” Arthur nearly yelled.

“Aah!” Merlin grabbed his head again, zoning out for a moment.  
Arthur felt a little bad, but only for a second.  
Merlin looked up at him, confused.

“Why didn’t you call for backup, tell someone else where they had Morgana kidnapped? No, you had to run straight into a bandit camp, trying to reach Morgana and yelling at the top of your lungs, getting yourself hurt!”

“...I wasn’t thinking?”

“Obviously,” Arthur sighed, running a hand through his hair.  
“Suicidal idiot.”

“Royal Prat.”

“Not now, Merlin.”  
Despite his anger, Arthur smiled.  
Merlin smiled back.

“...My Lady, Please-!” said a muffled voiced, making Merlin and Arthur sit up straighter.

“Is that Gwen?” Arthur asks.

“Let the through!” yelled another voice.

“Lady Morgana-” said Gaius.

“I need to see him!”  
She threw open the door to Merlin’s room, rushing to Merlin’s side, saying “Merlin! You’re awake! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, _My Lady_ ,” Merlin said, glancing at Gwen and Arthur, “Just a headache.”

“They wouldn’t let me come see you, I was trapped in my room until now,” she said, reaching out to inspect his head wound, “There was so much blood… are you sure you’re alright?”

“I’m fine, promise,” he insisted.

Morgana brushed some hairs out of Merlin’s face, gazing into his eyes.

Arthur coughed.

Morgana looked at him, as if only now noticing he was there. She took her hands off of Merlin, crossing them in her lap.  
“Arthur,” she said.

Gwen stood awkwardly against the closed door.  
Merlin rubbed the back of his neck.  
Morgana looked at Arthur, daring him to say something.  
Arthur looked back pointedly.

“Don’t let me stop you,” he said finally.

“That would make him a hypocrite,” Merlin said.

“Shut up, _Mer_ lin,” Arthur threatened.

Morgana looked between the two of them, confused.  
Then she noticed how Gwen was fiddling with the folds of her skirt, blushing, and how Arthur was avoiding looking at anyone in the eyes.  
“...Oh,” she said. Then she started to laugh.

Merlin laughed with her, Arthur looked affronted, and Gwen couldn’t figure out if she was supposed to be laughing or not so she had this sort of half-smile on her face.

“What’s so funny?” Arthur asked, yelling over the others.

“Sorry, Arthur,” Merlin said, laughing into Morgana's shoulder.

“It’s just-” Morgana snorted, “Both of us are sneaking around with a servant. Not only a servant, the other’s _personal_ servant! Could you imagine the look on Uther’s face?”  
Merlin and Gwen shushed her as she laughed harder.  
Arthur couldn’t help but chuckle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uugh, i've been noticing lots of spelling mistakes in past chapters... have to fix that


	25. Memories, part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaah i was trying to update this chapter and kinda deleted it.... ;-;  
> Here's the updated version anyway.

Merlin took to Percival and Gwaine like a moth to flames; it had barely been a week since they meet but whenever Merlin had free time Arthur would spot his manservant running off with them and Lancelot. He wished he could join them, but his position as Prince made it impossible.  
Lancelot had accepted Arthur’s offer to be a guard, so Arthur got to see him from time to time, but Gwaine and Percival had declined. He learned from Merlin that they were doing odd jobs around town to make money.

Speaking of Merlin…  
Merlin wasn’t doing his work, at the moment.  
He was standing in front of Arthur’s desk, fidgeting as Arthur filled out some paperwork.  
“Yes, Merlin?” Arthur asked, when he realized Merlin wasn’t going to speak first.

“I was wondering,” Merlin fidgeted, looking at Arthur’s desk, “If I could have some time off?”  
Arthur leaned back, an eyebrow quirked.  
“My Mother wants some help with things, back in Ealdor,” he said hurriedly, “It should be at least a week, not forever, I promise. Surely you can survive without me for a little while?”

“Of course I can,” Arthur scoffed, then asked, “Will you be traveling alone? Because there’s no way you’d be able to defend yourself against and bandits, not that they would think to steal from you in the first place.”

“I can protect myself!”

“Of course you can,” Arthur mock-smiled.

“I’ll have you know I’ve saved your royal backside many times,” Merlin said, crossing his arms.

“While cowering behind a tree?”

“I-” Merlin shook his head, knowing that this was going nowhere, “-can I go or not?”

“A week?”

“Maybe a few days more.”

“Alright,” Arthur sighed, “I guess I’ll have to make do without my favorite jester.”  
Merlin rolled his eyes.  
“When do you plan to leave?”

“Ah, tomorrow morning.”

“You’re dismissed.”  
As Merlin walked towards the door, Arthur said, “Don’t forget to polish my armor tonight.”

“Prat,” Merlin mumbled, slamming Arthur’s door closed as he left.

~~~~~  
“You're leaving?!”

“Two weeks at the most, Morgana!”

“Two weeks? Merlin, do you have any idea what could happen to Arthur in two-”

“I know,” he said, grabbing her hands and rubbing circles into the tops with his thumbs, “Morgana, I know. You can watch out for him for two weeks, right? You said you wanted to help.”

Morgana had calmed slightly, but paled at his request. “You want me to protect Arthur?”

“I trust you.”

“But Merlin, all of the stories you’ve told me, and that time with the suspicious servants and the time with the guitar that controlled people- how can I possibly do it alone? You're much better than I am at-”

“I protected him before I even knew a single spell. You’ll be fine. You have the book, right?” he smiled.

She huffed, still not sure, “Yes.”

“It's just two weeks. Maybe less. It will be over before you know it.”

“...Alright. Two weeks,” she sighed, then firmly grasped his hands, “You better not be late.”

“You know me, Morgana. When have I ever been punctual?” he smirked.  
She hit him behind the ear.  
“Ow! Morgana-”

She wrapped her arms around him and held on tight.  
“Be careful,” she whispered.

He squeezed back.  
He started to pull away, but she leaned in close, her lips meeting his.  
They kissed for ages... like they'd never see each other again.

~~~~~  
It took him two days by horse to reach Ealdor.  
Hunith was waiting for him when he arrived.  
They ran at each other, embracing with a tear-stained hug.  
It took them half a day to pick up Aithusa.  
It took another day for them to reach the cave.

~~~~~  
Merlin sat on the edge of a long drop, deep in the cave, and closed his eyes.

~~~~~  
_“Mam, where are we going?”_  
_“To meet an old friend of mine, Merlin. He lives around here.”_  
_“He lives in a cave?”_  
_“Yes, Merlin.”_  
_The cave looked huge, like it could swallow him whole._  
_“I don’t like it.”_  
_“It’s alright,” said a strange yet familiar voice, “I’ll protect you.”_

~~~~~  
_I'm in the middle of the forest._  
_There's someone on the ground._  
_He’s big._  
_Bigger than me._  
_But still small._  
_He’s blonde._  
_And red._  
_Not just his clothes._  
_He’s hurt._  
_He’s bleeding._

.....  
_“Who are you?”_  
_“I’m no one.”_  
_“Surely you have a name.”_  
_“Yes.”_  
_“Well, what is it?”_  
_“...Merlin.”_  
_“Do you know who I am, Merlin?”_  
_“...You’re Prince Arthur, of Camelot, I think.”_  
_“That is correct. Tell me, where am I?”_  
_“We’re near the city of Ealdor. What is the Prince of Camelot doing in Essetir?”_  
_“None of your business!” he crossed his arms, “Where are my Knights?”_  
_“I don’t know. You were alone when I found you.”_  
_“...how old are you?”_  
_“Eleven.”_  
_“Do you have parents?”_  
_“Yes.”_  
_“Why haven’t you taken me to them?”_  
_“Mother says not to trust anyone from Camelot. I don’t think she would approve.”_  
_“...Why are you helping me then?”_  
_“Because you’re hurt.”_

.....  
_“MERLIN!”_  
_Wolves._  
_Angry?_  
_Hungry?_  
_Growling._  
_Closer._  
_Arthur can’t walk, he can barely hold his sword-_  
_They’re getting closer._  
_Arthur shoves me behind him._  
_Closer._  
_I take a step to the side._  
_“What are you doing, idiot?”_  
_Arthur’s terrified._  
_So I act._  
_Familiar pain._  
_Shifting bones._  
_Claws extending._  
_“...Merlin?!”_  
_“Trust me, Arthur.”_  
_Pure heat, bright flames._  
_Loud **Roar**._  
_The wolves leave._  
_Arthur is still terrified, sword held up in defense._  
_“They’re gone, Arthur.”_  
_Hands shaking._  
_Sword shaking._  
_“I won’t hurt you, promise. Please!”_  
_Eyes uncertain._  
_“Please…”_  
_Shifting._  
_Claws retracting._  
_Hands return._  
_“You’re bleeding again.”_  
_The sword falls onto glass, and Arthur slides to the ground._

.....  
_“You’re the boy, with the Pendragon birthmark.”_  
_“Yes.”_  
_I cover my chest._  
_“You have magic.”_  
_“I’ve always had it.”_  
_“That’s impossible.”_  
_“You’re impossible.”_  
_“Shut up, idiot.”_  
_“Clotpole!”_  
_“You can’t talk to me that way!”_  
_“Why not?”_  
_“Because I’m a Prince!”_  
_“You’re not MY prince.”_  
_“Oh yeah? Then why is my sigil on your chest?”_  
_“Shut up!”_

.....  
_“...So… what’s magic like?”_  
_“What does that mean?”_  
_“What’s it like… to use magic?”_  
_“Ah… uhm… it’s… magic? I don’t know how to describe it.”_  
_“Does it make you feel evil?”_  
_“No! Why would it do that? Magic is good!”_  
_“My Father says magic is evil.”_  
_“Your Father is stupid.”_  
_He gasps, hand hitting his chest._  
_I laugh at him._  
_“...magic is… like an ax.”_  
_“What’s that supposed to mean?”_  
_“It's a tool! You can use an ax to chop down a tree for firewood to keep warm, or you could use it to hurt someone. I don’t want to hurt anyone with my magic. I’d rather chop wood.”_  
_He huffs._  
_“...I guess that makes sense.”_

.....  
_“ **Arthur**!”_  
_They both look towards the voice._  
_“My Knights!”_  
_Red._  
_So much red._  
_Shaking hands._  
_“Merlin?”_  
_Don’t want to._  
_Too scared._  
_Have to._  
_It's instinct._  
_“... **Placere obliviscaris**!”_  
_Arthur’s eyes cloud over._  
_“Over here! The Prince is over here!”_  
_Arthur blinked._  
_“...who are you?”_  
_“...Oh, good! You’re awake. You got hurt, do you remember…?”_

~~~~~  
Arthur was sitting in his chair, staring into the fireplace.  
He hadn’t thought about his imaginary friend in years.  
He had made up this whole story based on a boy who saved him all those years ago.  
It’s funny, that his imaginary friend had the same name as his first best friend, Merlin.

Arthur snorted.  
It's impossible to even think of, that Merlin was the child born with the Pendragon crest. Everyone knows the child was just a rumor anyway...

It’s quiet without Merlin.  
Too quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edit: i fixed the memory so it's all in first person point of view. i kind of switched between first and third before, sorry about that.


	26. Memories, part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm almost done with school, I should be able to update faster soon!!!! Here's a short little chapter.

_“Will, what are you doing?”_  
_“What does it look like, Merlin?”_  
_**Thwak** _  
_**Thwak** _  
_“That tree is to big!”_  
_“No it’s not!”_  
_**Thwak** _  
_“It’s to big Will!”_  
_“I know what I’m doing, Merlin!” ___  
_**Thwak** _  
_**Thwak** _  
_**Thwak** _  
_**Creeeeek** _  
_“...Will…”_  
_“Uh-oh…”_  
_“Move Will!”_  
_“Merlin-!”_  
_“NO!”_  
_**CRSSSHHH!** _  
_“MERLIN!”_  
_“...Merlin?”_  
_**Thump** _  
_“...What…?”_  
_Oh no._  
_Black scales._  
_Claws out._  
_Auh!_  
_My back hurts a lot-_  
_Ow._  
_Ow._  
_Did the tree fall on me-?_  
_Will is right there._  
_He's standing right in front of me._  
_No._  
_Oh no._  
_Back away._  
_Please don’t be scared please please-_  
_“Merlin, it’s okay!”_  
_Claws retracting._  
_“I’m not going to hurt you, promise! I won’t tell!”_  
_Scales fading-_  
_What was-?!_  
_He looks into my eyes._  
_It’s Old Man Simmons._  
_No nonono-_  
_“You little Monster!” he growls._  
_Nonononono-_  
_“Come on Merlin! Run!”_  
_He grabs my hand…_

.....  
_“It’s okay Merlin, you’re safe now.”_  
_“...You… you don’t…”_  
_“What?”_  
_“...You don't... don’t think I’m a... a monster?”_  
_“You’re my best friend Merlin! I’d never think you were a monster! I think you’re cool! Are you a Lizard-Man?”_  
_Gasp!_  
_“I’m not a lizard, I’m a dragon!”_  
_“Merlin the lizard, Merlin the lizard~”_  
_“Shut up!”_  
_I tackle him to the ground, laughing._

~~~~~  
_Morgana sat up in bed. The world was dark, yet bright. Everything was wrong. But everything was fine._  
_What was wrong?_  
_She stood up slowly, nightgown fluttering around her ankles. She took a step towards the window._  
_And another._  
_And another._  
_The world was dark, yet everything was in focus._  
_Faceless human monsters._  
_Faceless human Knights._  
_They’re everywhere._  
_It’s black._  
_It’s red._  
_It’s gold._  
_Emrys **cries** -!_  
“EMRYS!”

“My Lady, it’s alright!” said a soothing voice, rubbing Morgana’s hands reassuringly, “It’s alright. It’s just another nightmare.”

Morgana breathed heavily, the world coming into focus around her. “Gwen.”

“Yes, my Lady.”

Morgana sighed, getting control of her breathing.  
“I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about, Morgana.”  
They sat together for a while, Morgana leaning into her best friend’s arms.  


“Morgana,” Gwen asked, “What does ‘Emrys’ mean?”

Morgana huffed, glad Gwen couldn’t see her face.  
“I… don’t know,” she said, “I can barely remember the dream.”  
She lied.

~~~~~  
_Knock knock knock_

“Morgana?” Arthur opened the door and asked, confused, “Is there something you need?”

“I was just wondering what you thought of our guests,” she smiled.  
Arthur’s eyebrow arched.  
“Don’t give me that look Arthur. I’m curious.”

“I don’t know, Morgana, they seemed like every other high-class family; bootlickers." Morgana shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Her fingers were twitching.  
“Morgana,” Arthur smirked, “did you have a bad dream about me again? I can handle myself you know.”

“You insufferable-” Morgana huffed, “Oh, never mind. I don’t know why I even bothered.”  
She walked away, shaking her head.

Arthur smiled and closed the door.

~~~~~  
_“Father, where are we going?”_  
_“Just trust me, Merlin.”_  
_He leads me deeper into the cave, deeper than I have ever been before._  
_The passage opens into a huge cavern, full of stalactites and stalagmites._  
_“I think it’s time you learned how to properly fly,” my father smiled. He transformed, shifting from human to dragon._  
_Exited, I shift forms as well. I’m a lot smaller than my Father; I barely reach his chest._  
_“Follow me,” Balinor said, and took off into the air…_


	27. Memories, end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> teeny tiny update

_Merlin._

Merlin kept his eyes closed. 

_Merlin._

He huffed.

_MERLIN._

_WHAT, KILGHARRAH._

_We need to talk._

_I’m busy!_

_You’re sitting in a cave on the edge of a cliff, with your eyes closed._

_Yes, I’m busy._

_Merlin, this is a matter of great importance!_  
Merin was silent.  
_You must end the Union you have with the **Witch** -_

_**Don’t you dare insult her, Kilgharrah.** _

_Merlin-_

_**No**. You don’t get a say in my choices anymore, Kilgharrah. We may be Kin, but that is all we are. You chose to harm innocents in your quest for revenge. You have slaughtered and burned the people and the Kingdom I have sworn to protect. _  
_You attacked **Arthur**. _  
_You encouraged me to let an innocent **child** die._  
_**You** convinced me to try and **poison** the woman I love. _  
_I don’t care what visions of possible futures you have seen, I have had enough._  
_I will **make** my destiny. I will bring a time of peace in Albion, but I will not do it with you._  
_**Goodbye** , Kilgharrah._

_Merlin-_

_**No.** _

~~~~~  
Uther stared out the window, watching his son train with the Knights.  
“Send word to Marcus, I want it done in two days time.”

“Yes, my Lord,” bowed the Knight.

“I don’t want my son under the influence of magic any longer. It is time he learned not to question me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really busy right now and things are extreamly stressful. I'm not going to go into detail but I'm having a hard time finding the time and motivation to write this...  
> I'm not going to abandon this, promise. I just dont know when it's going to be finished.


	28. Everything Is (Not) Fine, part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back~  
> Uhm, there's a moment with Gwaine that's a bit... _Gwaine_  
>  Mature warning, I guess? It's nothing too bad.

Arthur and Leon left the castle on horseback; The King had instructed them to go scout out a nearby castle ruin in search of bandits. If they found any, they were to report back and not engage.

The ride had been uneventful, so far.  
Arthur hoped that this would be a quick, easy task to-

_Crack!_

They paused, slowing their horses as they looked around for the source of the sound-

“Well hello Princess,” said a smooth voice.

~~~~~  
“Look who I found,” Gwaine said, walking into his camp with Arthur and Leon behind him.

“Your Highness!” Lancelot smiled, getting up from his place by the fire, “Let me help you with your horses.”

“What brings you three out here?” Arthur asked.  
“Hunting,” Percival replied.  
“We were bored and had nothing better to do,” Gwaine smilled.

“What brings you out here? If I may ask,” said Lancelot.  
“Scouting,” Sir Leon replied, “We’ll have to leave at first light.”  
“Ah, of course. Would you like to make camp with us, Sire?”  
“I told you Lancelot, call me Arthur. We’ll take you up on that. Safety in numbers.”

The five men were soon situated around the fire, relaxing.

“Well, what should we do to pass the time?”  
“I know,” Gwaine smirked.

Lancelot and Percival groaned.

“What?” Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow at their behavior. 

“Let me tell you a tale,” Gwaine smiled, “A few months ago, I was in a tavern-”  
“Here we go,” Lancelot sighs.  
“- I was on my second glass of mead, when this beautiful woman sits down beside me. She was stunning; Lips the color of strawberries, eyes the color of the ocean, hair made of sunlight.  
“I should have known by the way she was dressed that I probably shouldn’t engage with her, but I was slightly drunk and she made the first move anyway.”

“You made the first move,” Percival interjected.

“Shut up Percy this is my story. Anyway, one thing led to another and the lass was taking me back to her room.  
“She shoved me onto her bed, and we started to remove each other’s clothes-”  
“ _Gwaine,_ ” Lancelot said, side-eyeing Arthur.  
But Arthur was grinning; it was Sir Leon who looked scandalized.

“-when she cuffs my arm to the bedpost like this,” Gwaine continues, holding his right arm up in the air, “As she takes my other arm, I think _alright, this is interesting, let’s see how this goes._ So there I am, pants off, both arms cuffed to the bed, when she pulls a knife out of her bodice.”

“She what!?” Arthur asks, with wide eyes.

“She gets real close, climbing on top of me and holding the knife up to my face, when the door bursts open-” he gestures wildly, “-and this _huge_ strange man comes and grabs her around the waist, forcing her to put the blade down. Turns out, she had a bounty on her head. She was known for stringing up guys to a bed and killing them for fun!  
“Anyway, that’s how I ended up bedding Percival instead. My Hero~” Gwaine finished, blowing a kiss to Percival.

Leon choked on air as Arthur laughed.

“Why do I keep you around,” Percival fake sighed.  
“Because I’m charming,” Gwaine replied, swooshing his hair behind his shoulder, “and because I’m very good at f-”

“And on that note,” Lancelot interrupted, “I’m going to prepare some stew. Gwaine, stop terrorizing Sir Leon and go skin a hare for me.”

“Spoil sport,” Gwaine pouted. He winked at Sir Leon as he got up to do what Lancelot asked.

Arthur kept laughing as Leon sputtered indignantly.  
“Calm down Leon, I’m sure he was just messing with you,” Arthur smirked.

~~~~~  
It was late; Sir Leon was on watch while the others slept.

The forest was relatively quiet; the sounds of bugs and frogs were all around.  
Something flew out of the trees in the distance.

The noise only held Sir Leon’s focus for a moment.  
Because something knocked him out cold from behind.

_Thud_

The noise of Sir Leon hitting the ground woke the rest of the camp; they tried to reach for their weapons, but they were outnumbered and quickly overpowered before they knew what had happened.

~~~~~  
Arthur squinted into the sunlight.

He was tied to a wooden pole; his hands were bound behind him.  
As he got used to the light, he realised he was in the very ruins he was supposed to be scouting.

Perfect.

The ruins were huge; the only thing left was a circular ring that used to make up the walls of a castle. It could easily fit three Emrys’s at full wingspan. There was a gap in the stone circle, big enough to fit a couple carriages through.

Arthur noticed that there were four other poles; two to his left, two to the right. At his left stood Sir Leon and Gwaine, and on his right were Percival and Lancelot.

“I’m sorry, Sire,” Sir Leon said quietly.

~~~~~  
“-sorry but I have to go, Arthur’s in danger and-”

“It’s alright, Merlin. I understand. Just be careful, would you?”

“Of course, Mother. When am I not?”  
Hunith gave him a look.  
“Don’t answer that,” he said, gathering up his stuff.

“Just make sure to drop off Aithusa on your way,” she said, as he ran out the door.

~~~~~  
“I don’t understand, there were only supposed to be two of them-”  
“We have the Prince, what does it matter? We can still sell the others-”  
“Ssh! Do you hear that?”  
The men looked towards the sky, trying to find the source of the strange sound.

Arthur was smirking.

“Oi! You! What’re you grinning for?”

“That,” Arthur said, nodding upwards.

The men coward in fear as Emrys swooped out of the sky; he hurt a few, but most evaded him and ran away.

Emrys turned his head to look at each of the five in turn; Sir Leon stood tall while Gwaine faltered, Percival worked furiously at his bindings while Lancelot looked the dragon in the eyes.  
Arthur laughed.

“Stop terrorizing them and help us out of this mess, would you?” Arthur said. 

Emrys snorted. “Shouldn’t a Prince be able to get out of ropes on his own?”  


“Shut up.”

Lancelot and Percival shared a look.

“Oh, right,” Arthur said, “Everyone, this is Emrys. He’s a friend.”  
“That’s a bloody dragon,” Gwaine said.  
“No, I’m an overgrown lizard,” Emrys replied, carefully slicing through the ropes that bound the men to the poles, “You really need to be more careful, my King. What if I can’t get to you next time?”

“I’d figure something out,” Arthur said. 

“Of course you would.”

At that moment, a strange _clack, clack_ noise started, coming from above and all around.

_Clack, clack_

_Clack clack clack_

Emrys stretched to full height, looking up at the top of the ruin wall- 

Rocks came from all directions; ropes with two or three rocks tied to their ends.  
The ropes wrapped around Emrys’s neck, his legs, weighing him down; the rocks hit his wings, making him cry out in pain-

“NO!” Arthur yelled, as the weight of the rock sunk Emrys to the ground. He ran at Emrys, picking up a discarded sword from the ground and moving to cut the ropes binding Emrys.

Hands grabbed Arthur, pulling him back and forcing him to drop the weapon.

“No!”  
Arthur struggled to fend off his attackers. He yelled in frustration. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gwaine in a similar position-  
But Sir Leon, Lancelot, and Percival were not.  
He could see it in their eyes, they wanted to help him so why-?

“Stop it, Sire!!” said one of the men holding him.  
No, not just a man.  
A Knight.

A Knight dressed in red.

“What is the meaning of this? _Let me **go**!_ ” Arthur yelled at the Camelot Knights holding him back, as many more Knights moved to tie up Emrys in chains, “I _order_ you to-”

“Silence, Arthur,” said a cold voice.

King Uther walked into Arthur’s view.  
“Make sure to bind that thing’s wings, so it can’t escape,” he ordered.

“Father, do you not see the _Pendragon Crest_ on-!”

“Useful tool, these ropes,” the King said, picking one up from the ground, “I traded with a man who said he got the idea from the Vikings, and that they themselves discovered it across the ocean. Bolas, I think he called them.”

“ _Listen to-_ ”

“Be quiet it you know what’s good for you.”

“ _Father-_ ”

Uther slapped Arthur; the only thing holding him up from the force of the strike were the Knights holding him back.

Emrys _growled_.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Arthur. But you are under this _Monster's_ enchantment and I will not have you say something you will regret.”  
Arthur was too stunned to respond.

“ _Monster?_ ” Emrys said, a deep chuckle following his word, "I'm the _monster_?" 

“All magical beings are evil creatures, especially ones that have my _son_ under an enchantment.”

“I would never put _My King_ under an enchantment, but I doubt anything I say will stick in that thick brain of yours,” Emrys scowled.

“ _How dare-!_ ”

“ _You_ dare raise a hand to your own _son_ , you kill sorcerers and witches by the _thousands_ , you _drown **children**_ by the _hundreds_ , you’ve wiped my race to near extinction, you broke my family and many more apart, and you rule Camelot with _fear_ as a Tyrant, yet you _dare_ call the protector of your son a _**Monster**_ **?** Hypocrisy, thy name is _Uther Pendragon_!”

“ _ **You-**!_ ” Uther growled, sword in hand as he walked towards Emrys’s head. 

“I think you’re forgetting something,” Emrys said in a sing-song voice.

As Uther got closer, Emrys breathed a jet of flames in Uther’s general direction.  
Uther dodged the flames; he stomped on the edge of his cloak to put out the flames.

“YOU-” Uther yelled, “MUZZLE IT!” he gestured to a nearby Knight who, terrified, moved to do as his King said.  
“Y-yes, Sire.”

Emrys relaxed as the Knight came near.

“Do not be afraid,” Emrys said, “I would never do anything to hurt a knight or citizen of Camelot. I have given Arthur my word.”  
Confused, the Knight walked right up to Emrys’s head.  
Emrys didn’t twitch at all at the Knight secured the muzzle around his head and snout.

Arthur began to struggle again.

“Make sure to paint that-” Uther gestured to the Dragon’s birthmark, “black, so the citizens don’t get any wrong ideas.”

“Yes Sire.”

“Throw Arthur in the carriage,” Uther said, gesturing to to carriages just outside on the ruins.  
The door was locked behind him.

“ _DAMN IT!_ ” Arthur yelled, banging on the door.

_**“DAMN IT!”** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> Next chapter might get a little bloody... I haven't desided yet


	29. Everything Is (Not) Fine, part 2

They were silent, like a shadow. They had their prey in their sights. The prey wasn’t even watching, eyes closed as rocks and sticks floated around his head.  
They smirked. This was going to be easy. 

They took a step forwards, hand reaching out, bracing to attack- 

“I know you’re there, Amelia,” said Mordred, not even opening his eyes. 

Amelia pouted. “Aw! How did you know?” 

“Magic.” 

“Meanie,” she said, plopping down in front of where he sat. 

“What do you want?” he asked, opening his eyes as the levitating objects dropped. 

“I bored~” she pouted, poking him. 

“Go bother your brother.” 

“His not here.” 

“Go bother your friends, then.” 

“Their mummy called them away.” 

Mordred sighed, “Why didn’t you go home, then?” 

“Ididn wanna.” 

He threw his hands up in defeat, saying, “How can I help you, Amelia?” 

“Iduno,” she shrugged, smiling.  
She poked him again. 

“Stop it,” he said, batting her hand away.  
She stuck her tongue out in response.  
“Don’t do that.” 

“You’re a stuck-up meanie,” she said, crossing her arms. 

“No I’m not,” he huffed. 

“Yes you are.” 

“I’m not.” 

“You are.” 

“Not.” 

“ARE!” she smiled. 

“Not- oh shut up,” he groaned. 

Amelia stood up, hand outstretched. “C’mon, let’s find something to do!” 

“I was practicing,” he sighed, taking her hand. 

“Now you’re not,” she smirked, “Let’s… play hide and seek!” 

“Amelia-” 

She ran off, yelling, “You hasta count to ten!” 

Mordred shook his head, though he was smiling just a little, and began counting.  
“One…”  
“Two…”  
“Three…” 

_Mordred._

He gasped.  
_Emrys?_

_I need you to do something for me, Mordred._

_I would be honored-_

_If I do not reply within two days, there’s something I need you to do. Follow my directions exactly, and don’t tell anyone where you are going or what you find.  
Understand?_

_Yes, Emrys._

~~~~~  
“Mooooordred!” Amelia pouted, tugging at his cloak. 

“I- what?” Mordred asked, looking down. 

“You didn come find me.” 

“Oh! Sorry, I was… distracted.” 

“You were jus standing there!” 

“I’m sorry, Amelia. You go hide again, and I promise I will come find you.” 

“You better. I found the bestest hiding spot!” 

~~~~~  
Morgana sat up in bed. The world was dark, yet bright. The sun had just begun to rise; there was a beam of light coming from the partially open curtains.  
She stretched. 

“Good morning, my Lady,” Gwen said, tidying up the room, “I’ve brought breakfast.” 

“Thank you, Gwen.”  
She stood up slowly, nightgown fluttering around her ankles. 

There was the sound of many soldiers moving coming from the window; the sound of carriages, something heavy being dragged. 

Morgana froze. 

“Gwen,” Morgana started. 

“Yes, My Lady?” 

“What is happening, in the courtyard?”  
She took a step towards the window. 

“I don’t know,” Gwen replied, fluffing Morgana’s pillows, “Uther and the Knights must be back from wherever they went yesterday.” 

She took another step.  
And another. 

Morgana opened the curtains fully. 

It was a little dark, but everything came into focus. 

Morgana gasped quietly. 

There was a huge crowd of people, gathered to see what the commotion was about- 

There were Knights scattered about, running to and fro, a group of them surrounding- 

It’s big. 

It’s black. 

The dragon whimpers as it’s dragged into the courtyard by ropes and metal chains. 

“ _EMRYS!_ ” Morgana screams, grabbing onto the curtains for dear life. 

“My Lady-” Gwen starts, rushing over to her crying mistress. She gasps as she comes upon the window. 

“Oh, that poor creature.” 

“Emrys,” Morgana sobs, “His name is Emrys.” 

~~~~~  
Uther stood above the growing crowd, staring at the monster below with disdain. 

“Magic,” he said, “as you all know, is a plague upon Camelot. It is pure evil. It tricks and seduces even the most pure of hearts. This _beast_ -” Uther paused, “-struck at the very heart of Camelot when it put an enchantment upon my son, Prince Arthur.” 

The crowd gasped, mumbling conversations among itself. 

“It tricked Arthur into trusting it, making the Prince do stupid things like questioning my judgment when sentencing a Sorcerer to death. I have reason to believe it convinced Arthur into letting the Great Dragon go free instead of killing the horrid _thing_. There is no place for _magic_ in Camelot.  
This Monster will be dealt with accordingly.  
Camelot is Great, and we will ensure that this is so by protecting it from all that wish it harm.” 

The crowd _roared_ , showing their approval. 

The Dragon winced at the noise. 

People threw things at it while it was dragged away; rotten food, sticks, rocks. 

~~~~~  
Arthur was locked in his chambers. 

George, Arthur’s temporary manservant, was allowed in with food.  
“Is there anything I can do for you, Sire?” George asked. 

“No, George. That will be all.” 

“I was instructed to tell you that the Lady Morgana has taken ill- her handmaiden says she is hysterical. She wishes for you to visit the Lady Morgana tomorrow, when the Lady is feeling better.” 

_What?_

“What happened?!” 

“The cause is unknown as of now. Gaius suspects that a particularly awful nightmare might be the cause.”  
“I take my leave now,” George bowed, leaving Arthur to his thoughts. 

Arthur started pacing.  
He kicked over a bucket, seething. 

_I’m not a child!_  
_Emrys is not a monster. He-_  
_Would Emrys really betray me? What If my Father is right? Magic is not to be trusted- that’s what I’ve always been taught._  
_Would he really have saved me so many times if he was planning to betray me?_  


“Merlin-” Arthur said, turning around to an empty room.  
“Hmph, right.” 

Merlin was still gone. 

_He’s late again. He was wrong about when he would be back._

_Or, I lied,_ Arthur thought in a suspiciously familiar voice. 

_Shut up, Merlin._

Arthur picked up a goblet and threw it at the door.


	30. Revealing Light

_Deep in the Darkling Woods..._

Getting through Emrys’s wards was challenging, but he made it through eventually.  
“ _Revoco,_ ” Mordred said with eyes flashing gold. 

His magic pulled back the vines to create a small opening, revealing a giant hole in the ground.

It was exactly where Emrys said it would be.

A soft chittering noise reached his ears. 

“What-?”  
Mordred saw a pair of eyes looking back at him from the bottom.  
Tentatively, Mordred walked down the staircase, never taking his eyes off the figure at the bottom.

He stared adjusting to the low light.  
“Thanks for the warning, Emrys,” he mumbled sarcastically.

A small white dragon was looking at Mordred with interest.  
Nearly the size of a hunting dog, it fluttered its wings as Mordred slowly walked towards it.

"Er… hello,” he said, holding his hand out, “Emrys told me to look after you.”

At the word _Emrys_ , Aithusa perked up, chittering happily then whimpering and moping, flying up to the ceiling and coming back down; he landed at Mordred’s feet, nudging his head into Mordred’s legs.

“I know,” Mordred crouched down to be eye level with the fledgeling, “We’re all worried. Last night, his magic- his presence- it was just gone. He’s Emrys, he’s fine.”

The white dragon nuzzled Mordred.

“Whatever’s happening, He’ll figure it out. He’s fine, I _know_ he is.”  
Mordred shivered, repressing a sob.  
His voice cracked.

“He _has to be_.”

~~~~~  
_Knock knock knock_

“Sire? It’s-”

“Come in, Gaius.”

Gaius quietly shut the door.

Arthur was staring out the window.

“Your father sent me. He wants me to see if the effects of the… ‘enchantment’ have worn off.”

Arthur didn’t turn.  
“What happened to him? Emrys.”

“Well, Sire, Ermys was _not_ taken and imprisoned in a cave underneath Camelot, where the Great Dragon used to reside.”

Arthur finally looked at Gaius. “The Great Dragon was imprisoned under the Castle?”

“I believe I said no such thing,” Gaius said, the ghost of a smile on his face.

“So… Father didn’t kill Emrys. He’s alive?”

“Oh I don’t know,” Gaius said, “I wasn’t alowed with them when they dragged Emrys away. I saw nothing.”

Arthur smirked. “There’s a cave under the Castle?”

“Yes, Sire. I’m _surprised_ your Father never told you about it. It’s big enough for a Dragon to move about freely, _if_ they were so inclined to find their way inside. You can enter the caves by going down a set of stairs in the dungeons. The _very back_ of the dungeons, mind you.”

“Thank you, Gaius.”

“Whatever for?”

The two men smiled at one another.

~~~~~  
“What are we going to do?” Aglain asked, “Emrys-”

Iseldir replied, “Emrys is alive. He has a great destiny to fulfill. Destiny won’t abandon him.”

“But Iseldir, his presence is gone-”

“Ruadan, it could simply be that something is blocking his magic.”

“But Iseldir-”

“Excuse me, Aglain, Iseldir, Ruadan, but my cousin- she comes from Camelot- has news!”

“Let her in,” Iseldir said, and the woman exited the tent, bringing another woman with her.  
“What is your name?”

“Forridel,” she replied, “I- I have news of Emrys.”

“Tell us, please.”

“I- Emrys saved my life, once, so when I saw- I had to follow- Uther of Camelot has captured him, trapping him in a cave in Dragon form.”

Iseldir bowed his head. “This is grave news indead. Thank you for bringing this to us, Forridel. You may leave.”

The two women left.

“The tyrant King has Emrys!” Ruadan spat, “Stupid man.”

“We should do something,” said a young voice.

The three men turned.  
“How long have you been there, Mordred?” Aglain asked calmly.

“Long enough,” he replied, “We can’t just leave Emrys!”

“We can’t take on Uther, either,” Aglain said, “Emrys-”

“What about the Catha? Surly they-”

“ _No!_ ” the three men yelled, making Mordred cower.

Aglain sighed, and said, “No, Mordred. Sending the Catha to harm Camelot could turn the Once and Future King further from his destiny. We have to trust in him, and in Emrys.”

“But we have to do something!” Mordred cried, tears threatening to spill.

“There is something we could do,” Iseldir said.

~~~~~  
It was late, an hour after sunset, when someone knocked on Morgana’s door. “Morgana?”

“Come in,” she replied.

Arthur carefully closed the door to her room. “You wanted to see me?”

“I- yes.”

“What about? Are you alright? I heard that you were ill last night.”

“I’m- I’m fine,” she said, not looking him in the eyes. “Have you heard from Merlin?”

“Not in a few days, why?”

“It’s… there’s this box,” she said, and paused.

After a moment, Arthur asked, “What box?”

“Don’t be mad, but Merlin gave me this box, and it’s called a message box?” she said.

“A message box?”

“Well if I write a letter, and put it in the box, then the letter uhm- _magicly_ gets sent to an identical box so Merlin can read it. We send each other letters and gifts and-”

“Morgana, it’s okay,” he said, reaching out to touch her arm, “Stop shaking. It’s just a box. Who cares about a bit of harmless magic?” he smiled.

Morgana breathed a sigh of relief.  
“Thank you, Arthur.”

“Now, what’s wrong?”

“It’s- we can send each other things near-instantly, and he normally sends a letter back within an hour but-” Morgana went to her dresser, pulled out the little box, and opened it, showing it’s contents to Arthur, “I’ve left him three letters, and he hasn’t pulled them out! He hasn’t responded in _three days_ and I- I can’t help but think that something is wrong!”

“That’s what this is about?” Arthur said, trying not to laugh, “I’m sure Merlin is just busy.”

“For three days?”

“Maybe he misplaced his box.”

“Maybe…” she sighed.

Then she froze.  


“Morgana?” Arthur asked.

She was staring out the window.

~~~~~  
Thousands of druids, sorcerers, and witches alike were hiding unseen in the forest surrounding the city. One by one, their eyes flashed gold and an orb of light appeared in their hands.

“For Emrys,” Iseldir said, sending his light into the sky.

“For Emrys,” Amelia said, letting her little light shine.

Mordred closed his eyes.  
_We’re here, Emrys,_ he thought, _you are not alone_.  
“For Emrys.”

~~~~~  
Guinevere ran, heading towards the closest place she knew she would be safe in.

She knocked on the door hard, looking over her shoulder as the lights filled the sky.

The door opened.  
“Gwen?” Lancelot asked, as Guinevere rushed around him.

“Have you seen the lights?” Gwen asked, clearly frightened.

“What lights?” Gwaine asked, sitting next to Percival; Percival had his arm around Gwaine’s waist.

“There’s these orbs of light in the sky, coming from the forest all around the-”

“The lights are...” Percival said quietly.

“What was that, Percy?” Gwaine asked.

Percival cleared his throat.  
“The lights are harmless.”

“How do you know?” Gwen asked, as Lancelot lead her to a chair.

“They’re for Emrys,” he replied, “The Druids and other magic users are sending a message to Emrys.”

“The Dragon?”

“What’s the message, then?” Lancelot asked.

“We’re here, Emrys. You’re not alone.” Percival said.

“How do you know that?” Gwen asked.

Percival rubbed the back of his neck.  
Gwaine took Percival’s hand in support.  
Percival smiled at him.

“I used to live with the druids,” he said finally, “Emrys is very important to them.”

“So… Camelot is not in danger?” 

“No, Gwen. It’s just a lot of lights.”  
Percival fidgeted.  
“Would you…” he trailed off.

“Would we what?” Gawaine asked.

“Do you want to send him one, send Emrys a light?”

Gwen’s eyes widened.

Percival cupped his hands, and said, “ _Fromum feohgiftum._ ”  
A blueish-yellow orb of light appeared in his hands.

Gwen breathed in, startled.

Lancelot stared.

Gwaine smilled.

Percival shook slighly, not looking anyone in the eyes.

Gwen stood up, and moved to sit by Percivals side. She touched his arm lightly.  
He turned to look at her, startled.  
“Can I…” she said, reaching out to the light.

Smiling slightly, Percival passed the sphere into her hands.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, staring into the light.

“Send it out the window,” Gwaine smiled.

Gwen slowly stood up, walked over to the window, and released the light into the night sky.  
“For Morgana’s friend, Emrys, and for good magic users everywhere,” she said, as the four of them watched the light join the others in the sky.

Gwaine and Percival stood behind her, hand in hand.

~~~~~  
“What the hell is that?” Arthur said, running over to the window, “Stay here Morgana, I have to-”

“Wait!” she said, grabbing onto Arthur’s arm.

“What?”

“It’s for Emrys!”

The two of them,the King’s Son and the King’s Ward, stared each other in the eyes.  
“Emrys,” Arthur repeated.

“Yes.”

“How do you know his name?”

Morgana’s gaze nearly faltered.  
“He took me to the Druids,” Morgana said, “He said he was your ally.”

Morgana let go of Arthur’s arm.  
“It’s a sign, from the Druids,” she said, turning away from him and looking out the window, “They’re risking themselves getting caught to stand as one for Emrys.”

He took a step towards her.  
“How do you know that?”

Morgana was shaking.  
“Gi-give me your hands,” she said, trying to give an order.

Arthur quirked an eyebrow at her, but did as she said.

Taking his hands, shaking like crazy, Morgana said, “ _Fromum feohgiftum._ ”

Arthur gasped, watching Morgana’s eyes turn gold as a familiar orb of light appeared in his hands.  
But this one was gold, not blue.

Neither one said a word.

Morgana unlatched her window, opening it wide.

“For Emrys,” she said, finally returning Arthur’s gaze.

Slowly, Arthur smiled.  
“For Emrys.”

~~~~~  
Deep under Camelot, a tired black dragon stirred.

Just because his magic was cut off by magic- dampening cuffs, didn’t mean he couldn’t feel the magic of others.

He felt each individual source of magic.

And he smiled.

~~~~~  
Uther was furious.

The sorcerers had scattered before his Knights had even left the city.

They were unable to find any magic users at all.

The orbs of light lasted until sunrise. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D  
> I've had this part in mind for _ages_.  
>  I'd draw it, but I only draw on paper and the lights over camelot are really hard to draw with just pencils and markers...  
> Oh well.  
> I just have a thing for magical Percy. He'll be doing magic again soon~


	31. The Plan, part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's a bit graphic.

Morgana and Arthur were waiting for King Uther to come to dinner. They sat quietly, each wishing they were somewhere else entirely.  
One scared for their life, the other scared for the lives of their friends. 

Arthur gestured for one of the servants to come over.  
They complied.  
“Where is the King?” Arthur asked. 

“The King is getting his new armor fitted. He will arrive soon.” 

“New armor?” Morgana asked, “Why does he need new armor?” 

The servant fidgeted, and said “I don’t know, My Lady.”  
Arthur waved his hand and the Servant went back to his origonal position. 

“Did you know, Arthur?” Morgana asked. 

“No, I didn’t,” he replied. 

The door slamed opened.  
“The King has arrived!” 

Uther strode into the hall, the light glittering off of his new armor. 

Arthur paled as Morgana held in a gasp. 

The breastplate, pauldrons, and gauntlets had _huge_ familier raven-black scales hammered into the steel, while the center of the breastplate had three golden scales embedded. 

Arthur was going to be sick.  
“Father,” Arthur greeted, standing up. 

“Sire,” Morgana said, doing the same. 

The King took his seat, and so did his children.  
“How was training?” Uther asked, as the servants set the table. 

“Fine. It went well,” Arthur said, staring at his plate, “The new Knights are definitely improving.” 

“Good.” 

Morgana was staring at the table. 

“Morgana?” Uther asked. 

“I’m sorry,” Morgana said, standing up, “I don’t feel well.”  
She promptly walked out of the hall. 

“What was that about?” Uther asked. 

“I don’t know,” Arthur said, “I’ll go find out. Excuse me, Father.” 

"You're dismissed." 

Arthur bowed, and followed Morgana. 

~~~~~  
Arthur found Morgana in a empty room, one that didn’t often get visitors.  
“Morgana-” 

“I can’t, Arthur, I just can’t! I _hate_ him, I _hate_ Uther and all that he stands for! How could he, that- that _monster_ strutting around with Emrys’s scales on his chest like some sort of _sick_ trophy! I can’t look him in the eyes without thinking that he can _see_ into my soul, see my _magic_ , think that I’ll wake up in a cell, awaiting the pyre! I can’t be in the same room with him Arthur! I-” 

Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over before she could stop them.  
She turned, trying to hide her face, not wanting Arthur to see her crumble; but Morgana broke into sobs, falling to the floor.  
Soon she had lost control of herself completely as Arthur caught her in his arms. 

"I _can't, I- I **can't-** "_

“I’m sorry, Morgana.” 

“ _I don’t want to **burn**!_ ” she cried, as Arthur held the woman who was like a sister to him to his chest, “ _Please don’t let me **burn**!_ ” 

“I will never let that happen, Morgana. I _promise_ to protect you,” he said sincerely, trying to hold himself together, "I swear on Camelot, you will _never_ burn by my Father's hand." 

Arthur's not crying.  
Princes don’t cry. 

“I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die,” she sobbed, drenching Arthur’s shoulder with tears, “He’s going to kill me, just like he killed Emrys!”  
Her cries echoed down the empty hallway. 

It took a while, but Morgana calmed down enough to push herself away from Arthur. 

“Sorry,” she said, wiping her eyes and fixing her hair. She smoothed out the folds in her dress. 

Neither one knew what to say. 

“I hate crying,” she said after a moment, voice sore, “It’s gross. It makes me feel weak.” 

“Morgana, you are the strongest woman, no, the strongest _person_ that I know. You are not weak.” 

She smiled, just a little.  
“Stronger than you?” 

“Of course not,” Arthur replied, smirking, “No one is stronger than me.” 

Morgana shoved him.  
“Oh, is my makeup okay? I’ve ruined it haven’t-” 

“Morgana,” Arthur said, getting her full attention, “Emrys is not dead.” 

She looked at him with wide eyes. “What?” 

“He’s been imprisoned under the castle. Gaius told me; Emrys is alive.” 

Morgana half sobbed, half laughed in releaf.  
“We have to do something,” she said, “We need a plan.” 

Arthur smiled. He would never admit it, but Morgana was a brilliant strategist. 

“Where is he kept?” she asked. 

“Gaius said that Ermys was imprisoned in a cave underneath Camelot; it’s down a set of stairs in the back of the dungeons,” Arthur said. 

“There are caves under Camelot?” she asked. 

“That’s what I asked,” Arthur smirked, “Uther has been keeping them a secret. Apparently the Great Dragon used to be imprisoned there.”  
Morgana had a contemplative look on her face.  
“Morgana?” 

“No wonder he attacked Camelot…” 

“ _What?!_ ” Arthur asked, incredulous. 

“I don’t mean- it’s awful, what he did, but think about it. Uther had said he defeated the Great Dragon _twenty years_ ago. If you’d been stuck in a cave for twenty years, while the rest of your kind was slaughtered, wouldn’t you want revenge? It’s still horrible, what he did, but…” 

Morgana zoned off, for a moment. 

She straightened up, saying, “Sorry. Back to the matter at hand.  
“You would never be alowed anywhere near Emrys, but as the King's Ward, I should be able to get close to him. I’ll find out how he’s being kept, what the way to his prison looks like, how hard it will be to get him out.  
"Make a list of allies that might be willing to help us- it won’t be easy rescuing a Dragonlord.” 

“First things first,” Arthur said seriously. 

“What?” 

“You were right, you do need to fix your makeup.” 

Morgana smaked him on the shoulder. 

~~~~~  
Guinevere and Morgana walked through the halls, carefully carrying a basin of water between them; Gwen also had a covered basket in her other hand.  
They had to pause now and then; the basin was quite heavy. 

Walking down the steps to the dungeons was a challenge, but they managed. Morgana scoffed at they turned the corner. 

“Lady Morgana!” one of two Guards said, looking up from their game of dice. 

She and Gwen carefully lowered the basin to the floor.  
“We’ve come to visit the prisoner,” she said. 

“My lady, I-” 

“You dare defy me?” 

“Of course not, but the King-” 

“Would love to here about incompetent guards disrespecting his ward, and not doing their job correctly,” she smiled with authority. 

“Sorry, my Lady, go right ahead. Would you like us to go with you?” 

“I can take care of myself, thank you.” 

“You’ll need a light,” the other Guard said. 

“Then provide me with one,” she smiled, holding out her hand.  
One of the Guards handed her a torch, and she and Gwen picked up the basin of water again. 

“What’s in the basket?” the second Guard asked Gwen. 

“Does it matter?” Morgana asked. 

“N-no, my Lady. Of course not.” 

They carefully descended the dark staircase, stopping as they reached the bottom.  
The cave was huge, seemingly going on forever. 

“Hello?” Morgana called, “Emrys?” 

_Emrys? Emrys?Emrys?_ , echoed the cave.  
There was no reply. 

“Are you sure about this, my Lady?” Gwen asked. 

“Of course I am Gwen,” she replied, “Why would there be guards if there was no one here?” 

They found another staircase and carefully made their way to the bottom, each step they took echoing into the distance.  
The women shivered as they reached the end, cold wind blew lazily through their hair. 

They walked a little ways, turning sharps corners through natural-made hallways until the came across a wide-open, mostly flat floor.  
The torch-light illuminated a dark shape; a dragon, in chains and laying on it’s side. 

“Emrys,” Morgana said, rushing to his side. 

The dragon stirred, opening one eye to gaze at Morgana. He tried to sit up, but groaned and fell back onto his side. 

He was bleeding; or more accurately, covered in dried blood. His scales were seamless except for the parts where someone had pulled them out; some of them were cracked, and there looked like shards of scales had been caught in the scabs.  
He had three huge parralel scars, too; they looked newly healed. 

“Oh my god,” Gwen gasped. 

Morgana bent down near Emrys’s head.  
He flinched as she reached out out to him. 

“It’s okay, I won’t hurt you,” she said slowly. She carefully undid the buckle of his muzzle.  
Removing it was a challenge; the straps had started to cut Emrys between his scales. He whimpered as Morgana pulled it off.  
“I’m sorry,” she said. 

Gwen took a rag and wet it in the water. She moved to Emrys’s side and started to clean off some of the blood. 

Emrys stretched his jaw wide.  
He smiled at Morgana. 

“There, that’s better,” she said, dropping the desested thing to the ground. 

Emrys hummed; his voice sounded sore. 

“Don’t try to talk, wouldn’t want to make anythings worse by accident.”  
Morgana took a rag and carefully washed Emry’s face, saying “Sorry,” every time he winced. 

“Can you use magic?” Gwen asked, “Could you escape?” 

Emrys made a noise that sounded like ‘nuh-uh’. 

“Why not?” Morgana asked. 

He moved his leg, making a ‘ _chink_ ’ sound as the chains attached to a shackle twitched.  
Gwen inspected the shackle. 

“Morgana,” she said, waving the other woman over, “These markings, they look like-” 

“They’re ruins, written in the old language,” Morgana said with wonder. 

She scoffed.  
“Hypocrite! Using magic against magic!” she huffed, throwing her rag at the ground. She took a deep breath, rolling her shoulders back.  
She walked over to the basket that Gwen had dropped, pulling out a jar of odd-colored paste. 

“This is from the castle physician,” she said, opening the jar and scooping out some of the paste with two fingers, “It should help.”  
She started rubbing the stuff onto Emry’s wounds. 

“Arthur and I are coming up with a plan,” Morgana whispered into Emrys’s ear, “We’re going to get you out.”  
“I told him, you know,” she continued whispering, smiling, “he accepted me. Arthur is a friend to magic. I can’t wait to tell Merlin- you know Merlin, right? He’s been off visiting his mother. He should be back soon. Maybe Merlin will be able to tell Arthur too.  
"It wasn’t easy-” she said, scooping out more paste, “but it took a weight off my chest I didn’t know was there. It felt great.  
“I know Merlin can't stand lying to Arthur all the time. Just imagine- Arthur and Merlin, fighting side by side, hiding nothing from each other…” she trailed off.  
“If only,” she said. 

Emrys hummed back to her. 

“I don’t know what that means,” she smiled. 

He made a really weird noise. His chest moved up and down quickly, air blowing out of his nostrils. 

Morgana thought for a moment.  
“Are you _laughing_ at me?” she asked, pretending to be scandalized as Emrys laughed harder.  
“Gwen! He’s laughing at me!” she giggled. 

Gwen held in a chuckle, cleaning her rag in the water. 

“Don’t you start!” Morgana said playfully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where did you guys go?  
> I know I forgot to respond last time, but I read every single comment! I miss you guys.
> 
> I think I'm going to combine some chapters together, to make them longer and decrease the total amount of chapters. What do you think?


	32. The Plan, part 2

Morgana found her way to Arthur’s chambers, Gwen following behind. She knocked on the door.  


“Who is it?” 

“Morgana, and Gwen.” 

Arthur opened the door, ushering them inside.  
Morgana looked around the room. 

Sir Leon was standing by the door, stoic as always. She expected him. But the other three? Now this was a surprise. 

Morgana recognized them. They were the three men who saved her and Merlin.  
“Since when are you good friends with commoners, Arthur? You always parroted your Father, saying that they were below you.” 

The man leaning on Arthur’s bed scoffed. 

“Since Merlin,” Arthur replied sincerely. 

“So, why is a devilishly handsome man leaning on your bed like _that_?” 

Arthur gagged as the man laughed, throwing his head back.  
“Oh, I like her,” he said, face red from laughing. 

The huge boulder of a man, leaning by the window, chuckled silently, covering his face with his hand. 

The third man, who was sitting at Arthur’s table, shook his head at the lot of them.  
He stood up, bowing at Morgana’s feet. 

“My name is Lancelot, My Lady,” he said. 

“Trust me, I remember. You are not-quite- _Sir_ Lancelot, the griffin slayer. It’s a good thing Uther has such a poor memory in his age.” 

“Morgana!” Arthur said, looking at her in disbelief.  
The man on the bed snorted while Sir Leon’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. 

“I really like her,” the man said, throwing his hair over his shoulder as he sprang to his feet.  
He bowed as dramatically as possible, taking her hand to kiss it, “Gwaine, at your service. It’s a pleasure to meet someone with such a sharp tongue.” 

Morgana smirked, turning to Gwen to say, “I like this one.” 

Gwaine stood up, beaming.  
“Oh,” he said, “the strong, silent one is Percival. He’s _mine_.” 

“Don’t worry, I have claimed a man as my own.” 

“Oo, secret lover? You’ll have to tell me-” 

Arthur _coughed_ , getting everyone’s attention. His face was beet-red. 

“Sorry, Arthur,” Morgana smiled, not sorry in the slightest. “

“So,” Arthur said, as Morgana and Gwen sat down next to Lancelot, “I-”  
Morgana cleared her throat.  
“-Morgana and I called all of you here for a very important reason. You are here, because we trust you. All of you. That’s why everything that is said in this room stays in this room. Are we clear?” 

“Crystal,” Gwaine replied. 

“Of course, Sire,” Leon said. 

“For the last time, Leon, you’ve known me since I was a child. You’re like an older brother to me; Call me Arthur.” 

Leon huffed.  
But he did relax slightly. 

Gwaine’s eyebrows practically disappeared into his hairline. 

“Told you Arthur was better,” Lancelot said to Gwaine, “Like you are.” 

“Shut up, Lancy.” 

“Better than what?” Arthur asked, a slight growl to his voice. 

“It’s not important,” Gwaine replied, waving his hand, “Please, continue.” 

Arthur tried to speak, but his jaw locked up.  
He turned away from them all, hands clasped tightly behind his back.  
He squared his shoulders unconsciously. 

“Arthur,” Morgana said reasuringly. 

Arthur took a deep breath, straightened up, and turned around. “The Laws of Camelot are wrong,” he said finally.  


The air was sucked out of the room. 

“My _Father_ ,” Arthur clenched his hands into fists and closed his eyes, “is wrong.” 

He opened his eyes.  
“Magic users have been mercilessly hunted for the past twenty years. They have been beheaded, drowned, burned- and I have reason to believe that most of them were innocent. I can’t say that everyone with magic is good, just like I can’t say everyone in Camelot is good. But no one deserves to be hunted down in the name of my Father’s mad vendetta. Not sorcerers, not witches, not dragons. 

“Magic is a tool, like an ax or a sword. It can be used for good, or for evil. It depends on the wielder. The laws need to be changed- so that innocents are spared.  
“My Father won’t listen to reason when it comes to magic. So I’m taking matters into my own hands.  
“An innocent magic user- a Dragonlord, the last Dragonlord- has been imprisoned under the castle. His name is Emrys. He needs our help. 

“Will you help me?” 

You could hear a pin drop in the room, if someone was so inclined to drop one. 

“How could we say no to that?” Gwaine smiled, standing up. 

Percival nodded, moving next to Gwaine. 

“You have my loyalty,” Lancelot said, standing up. 

Leon looked at Arthur, unmoving and unreadable. 

“Leon, I understand if you can’t-” 

“You’re a better man than the King could ever _hope_ to be, Arthur,” Sir Leon interrupted, “I will help in any way I can.”  
He walked to stand next to his Prince. 

“So will I,” Gwen said, nearly tripping over her skirt. 

Morgana grinned, stealthy wiping a tear away as she stood up with the rest of them.  
“Don’t leave me out, I’m a part of this too,” she said, carefully controlling her voice. 

Arthur beamed with bashful pride. 

A part of him said that something was missing. 

Yet at that moment, everything was blindingly bright. 

~~~~~  
The figure walked quietly, barely moving the leaves as he passed tent after tent. Everyone else was sleeping. He saw a shadow of Alavar on the side of a tent, and paused- 

Oh.  
The shadow was in the inside of the tent. 

He continued on his way. 

He didn’t care anymore; he had to do something- 

“Mordred?” asked a tiny sleepy voice. 

He nearly lost his footing, startled.  
“What on earth are you doing up, Amelia?” 

She rubbed her eyes with her hands.  
“Iduno.” 

“Go back to bed then,” Mordred said quietly. 

“You’re noh in bed.” 

“Ssh!” Mordred said, looking around, “I’m busy.” 

“Doin’ what?” 

“I’m on a mission.” 

“Doin’ what?” 

“Stuff!” he hissed, continuing on his way. 

“Can I come?” she said, little feet crunching the leaves.  
Mordred winced, stopping to turn around. 

“No! Go back to bed, okay?” 

“But Iwanna go with you,” she pouted. 

“It’s too dangerous. You could get hurt, and then your moms would get mad. At me.” 

“But-” 

Mordred sighed, walking back to Amelia. He lifted her up, holding her against his chest.  
“It’s bedtime,” he said. 

“Idunwanna,” she whined. 

“You’re gunna,” he replied.  
“You’re getting heavy.” 

“No you’re heav.” 

A simple sleeping spell knocked her right out. 

~~~~~  
He traveled throughout the night, making it to Camelot in the early morning.  
No one paid him much attention as he traveled through the lower town.  
Getting into the citadel was harder. 

_Just pretend you’re supposed to be here,_ he thought, walking right past a pair of guards.  
He wandered through the castle, realising he had no idea where the dungeons were, and if Emrys was being held there anyway. 

_What am I doing?_

“Hello,” said someone, nearly making him jump.  
He turned to see a serving girl, with dark skin and curly hair looking at him. She was holding a basket full of linens. 

“Are you supposed to be up here?” she asked, smiling. 

Mordred panicked. He _bolted._  


“Wait!” she called after him. 

He heard the familiar _clank_ of metal armor as the guards chased him. He vaguely realised the alarm bells had sounded as he _ran_ , ducking past people and objects, running through the halls. 

He sprinted into a closet, slamming the door shut behind him. Mordred cursed. There was no way out. 

Someone hit the door open, scaring Mordred farther into the little room. He tripped, hood falling off as he crawled back- 

“Mordred?” the knight said. 

Mordred looked up.  
He was staring into the eyes of Arthur Pendragon. 

“What…” Arthur asked, looking at the boy.  
They could hear more soldiers coming their way.  
“Stay here, and don’t make a sound,” Arthur commanded, closing the door. 

Mordred’s heart pounded in his head.  
He tried to take quiet breaths but only succeeded in taking sharp, painful ones. 

A group of people passed. Guards, or Knights? 

_Does it matter?_

_What is Arthur going to do to me?_

_Should I make a run for it?_

The door slowly opened.  
Mordred raised his hand to- 

A familiar figure stood in the doorway.  
“Lady Morgana,” Mordred sighed, putting his hand down. 

~~~~~  
_What on earth are you thinking? Do you have a death wish?_ said a muffled voice. 

_I-_

Sir Leon knocked on the door to Prince Arthur’s chambers.  
The voices inside went quiet. 

The door opened. 

“Sire, may I come in? I’m sorry if this is a bad time.”  
“No, not at all! Come in, and for the last time call me Arthur” Arthur said, gesturing into the room. 

There was no one else in the room. 

“I wanted to report that Lanelot has been stationed on guard in the back of the dungeons all week, by himself.” 

“Perfect! Thank you, Leon. Do you know if Gwen found out anything in the Library?” 

“I do not. Although the King had all books relating to the old religion destroyed twenty years ago, I doubt that they’ll be able to find anything.” 

“There’s no harm in trying, is there? Maybe they missed a book.” 

“Do you know of any other sources we could-?” 

A boy tumbled out of the closet.  
“I can help!” he said. 

“Mordred!” Arthur yelled, “I told you to-” 

“This is about helping Emrys, right? I want to-” 

“Ssh!” both men hissed, glancing towards the door. 

“I can help! I’m a druid!” 

“No, it’s too dangerous,” Arthur said, “You’re just a child.” 

“I’m _almost_ a man! I could at least translate for you? Or… help in other ways?” Mordred said, glancing at Leon. 

“There is no possible way I’m letting you use magic in Camelot.” 

“Fine! I can still translate for you!” 

Arthur opened his mouth to respond but Leon cut him off.  
“ _Sire_ , getting him out of the castle will be complicated. We can send him on his way along with you-know-who; Mordred might as well help while he’s here.” 

Mordred smiled while Arthur seethed. 

“Alright, _fine_.”


	33. The Plan, part 3

“Hello again,” Gwen said, laying a piece of paper in front of Mordred, “Arthur said you could translate this?” 

The group had reconvened in Arthur’s room, with the added addition of Mordred. 

He blushed as Gwen smiled at him, remembering how he ran from her the last time they met.  
He mumbled conformation to her, and traced his finger along the paper as he read.  
His eyes widened, and he sprang up, saying, “Where did you get this?” 

“I traced it off of Emrys’s shackle,” Gwen replied. 

“Uther is using magic to fight magic?” Lancelot asked. 

“Hypocritical arse,” Gwaine spat. 

“Gwaine!” Percival hissed, looking towards Arthur. 

“What? He’s not my King.” 

“This is a magic binding spell!” Mordred said, panicked, “No wonder Emrys has gone silent! The cuff cuts him off from his magic _completely_. We- we thought he was dead, or _dying_ -” Mordred gasped, “-but this is so much worse. This is- he’s being tortured! Emrys was _born_ of magic, take-taking away his magic-” Mordred started hyperventilating.  
“We- we have- we have to save him- he _can’t- **Emrys** -_” 

Morgana took Mordred into her arms, holding the boy close.  
“Ssh, Mordred, ssh. We’ll save him. Emrys will be okay,” she said into his ear, carefully controlling her own features. 

The rest of the group looked awkwardly at each other as the young teen broke down. 

Mordred pushed Morgana away, trying to calm himself.  
“You- we- we need a magic sword,” he said, looking at Arthur. 

“A what?” 

“A magic sword! And a power-powerful one at that. It’s the only way to free Emrys, bi-binding spells are hard to break,” he said. 

“How do we get one of those?” Arthur asked, looking at Morgana.  
She subtly shook her head. 

“I- I could do a tracking spell, to find one powerful enough?” Mordred said. 

“Hopefully there’s one close,” Morgana said, “Arthur?” 

“I told you, no magic in Camelot,” he replied. 

“But Sire-” 

“No, Mordred.” 

“Arthur-” Morgana started. 

“If he gets caught doing magic, he could die!” 

“If I don’t do it, Emrys _**will die**!_ ” Mordred yelled, silencing the room.  
“Please,” he begged, “Emrys- Emrys is _everything_ to me, to the druids, to sorcerers and witches and- I _need_ him.” 

_Oh no_ , Arthur thought.  
_Mordred still knows how to make ‘the eyes’_.  
_Arthur, don’t you dare-_

Arthur sighed.  
“On your own head, be it.” 

~~~~~  
Mordred casts the spell on a necklace, so it’s easy to hide.  
“That’s… did I do it wrong?” he said, brow furrowed. 

“What’s wrong?” Morgana asked. 

“There’s an incredibly powerful sword close by...” he replied, confused. 

“How close?” Arthur asked, glancing towards the door, where Leon was now standing guard. 

“I think… I can take you to-” 

“No,” Arthur said sternly, “Show me how to use it.” 

Mordred sighed, defeated.  
“The closer you are to the sword, the hotter the charm will get. When it’s so hot it burns, the sword is really close. If you’re going the wrong way, it will get colder.” 

“Right,” Arthur said, taking the necklace from Mordred, “Be back soon. Don’t let Morgana get into trouble while I‘m gone.” 

“Excuse me?” Morgana asked, as Arthur quickly shut the door behind him. 

~~~~~  
Arthur hissed, dropping the necklace onto the hard wooden floor.  


_You’re kidding me_ , he thought, looking around Merlin’s room. 

He lifted Merlin’s pillow, and looked under the blankets.  
He rifled through the stuff on Merlin’s deck.  
He took a look under Merlin’s bed. 

He opened Merlin's cupboard.  
“You have _got_ to be _kidding_ me.” 

~~~~~  
“So what all can you do with magic?” Gwaine asked Mordred. 

“I don’t know,” Mordred replied, “Just things.” 

“Can you make objects levitate in the air?” 

“I guess… why?” 

Gwaine had a mischievous look on his face. 

“Gwaine, no,” Gwen scolled. 

He pouted.  
“Why not?” 

The door burst open, making everyone jump to their feet. 

Arthur held something long and covered in cloth in one hand; he was seething, face red.  
“Why _the **hell** does my manservant have a ‘ **special** ’ sword hiding in plain sight in his **cupboard**?_ ” he yelled. 

Mordred, Morgana, and Percival’s faces paled. 

“When he gets back we are going to have a _serious discussion_ -” Arthur ranted, throwing the sword onto his bed, “-when the hell is he going to be back anyway?! He’s over a week late! Unless he _lied_ to me _again_ , and he planned on being god-knows-where for over a month! I might as well just make _George_ my long-term manservant!!”  
Arthur sighed, resisting the urge to throw something by slamming his fist onto his desk. 

He took a moment to breathe, looking up to see everyone staring back at him. 

“Morgana,” Arthur said, making her jump a little. 

“Yes, Arthur?” 

“Did he ever reply to your letter?” 

Morgana’s eyes shifted to the floor.  
“No,” she said quietly, “he didn’t.” 

Arthur ran a hand through his hair.  
“As soon as Emrys is safe, I’m going after him,” he said, “For all we know he’s gotten himself in trouble, again. That’s a promise, Morgana.” 

Mordred fidgeted in his chair. 

Percival’s knuckles turned white.  
Gwaine laid his hand on top of Percival’s, reassuringly.  
Percival sent a small smile back. 

“Can I see the sword?” Mordred asked quietly.  
Arthur gestured to the sword with his arm, not trusting his voice at the moment.  
Mordred carefully unwrapped the sword.  
“This sword is old,” he said, holding it up for all to see, “and very powerful.” 

“Hold on,” Morgana said, moving to get a better look at the thing, “This looks familiar. Arthur?” 

Arthur glanced at it.  
He looked back at his desk, thinking about what he was going to do to Merlin if Merlin wasn’t in danger and-  
He looked up at the sword, putting the peices together.  
“The Knights of Medhir,” Arthur said, “I thought my Father had all of their swords destroyed.” 

“Looks like they missed one,” Morgana said, looking at the sword with wonder.  
_Why did Merlin take this sword?_ she thought. 

~~~~~  
“...have the numbers, we know the way, we can free him from his shackles… Arthur, there’s one thing we forgot,” Morgana said suddenly. 

“What?” 

“How are we going to smuggle a dragon out of Camelot?” 

“We…well, we will… er...” 

“He’s not just a dragon, though” Mordred said, “he’s a _Dragonlord._ ” 

“So?” Lancelot asked. 

“He’s a human in dragon form. All he has to do is shift back into a human, and we can get him out.” 

“I’m not sure Emrys will agree to that,” Morgana said, “he’s very secretive about his human form.” 

“Not even to save himself?” Gwaine asked. 

“I’m sure we can convince him to shift,” Arthur said. 

“Think about it, Arthur. Emrys is incredibly loyal to you, but he’s never shown you who he is. He must be someone we know. Telling- showing a secret side of yourself, it’s not easy,” Morgana challenged. 

Arthur hummed in response.  
“Emrys must know how important he is to magic kind,” Arthur said finally, “he wouldn’t let himself die just to keep his identity safe.” 

“We should swear to secrecy when we meet him,” Mordred added, “just in case.” 

Arthur nodded his agreement.  
“So, we should do it tomorrow,” Arthur said. 

“Tomorrow,” Morgana agreed, smiling. 

“Tomorrow,” Mordred said with hope in his eyes. 

~~~~~  
A figure stepped away from Arthur’s closed door, face filled with panic.  
“I have to tell the King,” he said, backing into the opposite wall. 

“I _have to tell_ -” George said, before taking off in the direction of the King’s chambers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully, Tomarrow :)  
> This is going to be fun.


	34. The end

Everything was going smoothly.  
Arthur lead the group of people through the halls; Morgana, Gwen, Percival, Gwaine, Leon, and Mordred. Lancelot was on guard duty in front of the cave.

Arthur was appalled at how easy it was to sneak around Camelot.  
Morgana was right, this is ridiculous! 

Leon vowed to have a serious discussion with his guards. 

But Morgana was anxious.  
“I said it was going to be easy,” Morgana whispered, “yet this is almost too easy…” 

Of course, that’s when everything went horribly wrong. 

~~~~~  
They were running, not caring about making noise as countless guards chased them, the sounds echoing, distorting Arthur’s ability to figure out how many people were chasing. 

“Sire, Halt!” yelled a guard, as the group was trapped, guards blocking all entrances. 

Morgana squared her shoulders, raising her arm- 

“ _Tófléon!_ ” Percival yelled, throwing the guards in front of them away with a flash of his eyes.  
“Come on!” he yelled, picking up Mordred so he wouldn’t lag behind. 

Arthur looked at Percival with surprise, following behind the mountain of a man as the group ran towards the dungeons- 

Only to suddenly stop before a wall of red.  
The entrance to the cave was blocked by Camelot’s Knights, standing tall, swords raised. 

“...Sire?” Sir David asked, lowering his sword, “Sir Leon?” 

“They’re enchanted,” hissed Sir Roderick, one of Uther’s Knights. 

Lancelot struggled; he was on his knees, held back by three of the Knights. 

"The Lady Morgana and her handmaiden too…” another Knight said. 

“Prince Arthur, stop this ridiculous quest at _once_ ,” Sir Roderick commanded. 

“You dare raise your swords to your Prince?” Arthur yelled, and many of the Knight's hands shook; some lowering their swords, some unsure of what to do. 

“Keep them up!” Sir Roderick spat, “I raise my sword to a _spoiled brat_ who goes against his King’s wishes. If he had kept a tighter leash on you, you never would have met the monster in the first place. Even _you_ are not stupid enough to believe any beast with magic could be good in any way!” 

Arthur seethed, pulling his sword out of its sheath and matching Sir Roderick- 

Sir Roderick fell to the floor, Sir David standing over him, sheathing his sword.  
He calmly wiped the blood off of his sword’s hilt. 

“David!” Sir Gregory cried, looking between Sir David, Sir Roderick, and his Prince with fear in his eyes. 

“What are you doing?” hissed Sir Yaromir. 

“I’ve seen someone enchanted before, Sire,” Sir David said, looking his Prince in the eyes, “You’re not.”  
Arthur smiled in return, lowering his sword. 

“You’ll really go against the King’s wishes?” asked Sir Yaromir. 

“He may be my King,” Sir David replied, “but he is not my leader. Sire, save Emrys. He saved us all from the Golden Dragon; he doesn’t deserve to be our prisoner.” 

The Knights all stood down, one by one. The three holding Lancelot let go, helping him to his feet.  
They cleared a path, letting the group through. 

Arthur put a hand on Sir David’s shoulder.  
“You should all pretend to have been attacked by a magic user,” Arthur said, “I don’t want the King to take his wrath out on you all. And David? Thank you.” 

~~~~~  
“This way,” Morgana said, leading them down a second staircase. 

She lead them through a familiar path, turning sharps corners through natural-made hallways until leading them to a wide-open, mostly flat floor. 

Emrys looked even worse. 

His wing was bent at a funny, impossible angle.  
The torch-light highlighted his scars from the Golden dragon, along with the scabbed-over places his scales were taken from.  
And yet. 

As Arthur walked up to his friends side, Emrys smiled.  
It seemed to say, without any words, ‘I knew you were coming for me.’ 

Arthur ran a hand carefully along Emrys’s head, making the tired and hurt dragon close his eyes.  
“We’re getting you out of here,” Arthur said, pulling out the Sword of a Knight of Medhir.  
He walked to Emrys’s hind leg, looking at the detested cuff. He raised the sword with both hands- 

“ _ **Arthur!**!_ ” 

Arthur froze, turning his head to come eye to eye with his Father. 

No one dared move nor make a sound. 

“Put down the sword, Arthur,” The King commanded, torchlight reflecting off his scaled armor.  
He glanced around the room, eyes stopping suddenly upon Morgana’s form. 

“You’ve dragged _Morgana_ into your nonsense?”  
Morgana took a threatening step forward, but Percival held her back. He almost let her go as she looked at him with _that face_.  
“So, she’s been enchanted,” King Uther said, “Just like my son. Tell me, which one of you is the _Sorcerer_? Stop hiding and face me!” 

“I’m right here!” Arthur yelled, getting his Father’s full attention. 

‘No,’ Uther mouthed, fear in his eyes. 

“I’m not a sorcerer,” Arthur said.  
“You say that word like it’s a curse, when it’s not! Magic is neither good, nor evil! You can’t see what’s right in front of your nose, not when you’ve made an impenetrable wall of hatred! You hunt down and _burn_ innocent people, not caring, pretending it’s for the good of the people when all you’re doing is becoming something the people fear!  
“Magic doesn’t have to be evil. _You_ don’t have to be evil. Father, _please_.” 

Arthur took a few steps forward, closer and closer to his father.  
“Magic is not your enemy,” Arthur said, “it’s not too late.” 

Uther was looking at Arthur with _fear_.  
“You’re not enchanted,” he said. 

“I’m not,” Arthur smiled, taking another step closer. 

Uther took two steps back, staggering away from Arthur.  
“You’re not enchanted,” Uther said, so many emotions crossing his face at once.  
Fear, sadness, anger, despair.  
“I’ve failed you,” he said finally, “I’ve _failed_.  
“I should have known an _unnatural_ child born of magic would be so easily corruptible,” he spat. 

Arthur fell back, feeling as if an invisible figure hit him in the chest. “What?”  


“You _waste_ of a child!” the King yelled, “I never should have trusted Nimueh! I _tried_ , tried to save you from yourself, but I’ve _failed_.  
"Oh, Ygraine, I’m so sorry.  
"You disappointment, you _devil child_ , you should have _died_ along with Ygraine!” 

Arthur stumbled to his knees, every sentence a physical blow. 

King Uther pulled his sword from his sheath. 

“ _ **Stop!**_ ” Morgana screamed. 

“ _Sire, **NO!**_ ” Leon yelled, running to defend Arthur- 

But his way was blocked. 

Emrys had slipped his tail between the King and the Prince, fire in his eyes. He nugged Arthur back, flush against his side. 

_How **Dare** You!_ screamed a voice inside of all their heads.  
_How dare you talk to Arthur that way! You hypocrite, you liar, you **Monster**. You don’t deserve to call yourself his Father, you don’t deserve your crown!_  
Uther snarled, striking at Emrys, but with a flash of Emrys’s eyes the sword turned to dust.  
_Arthur is the **Once and Future King** , the True King of Camelot, the King Chosen by **Albion Herself**! You, Uther Pendragon, you will be forgotten, your name twisted and changed, but Arthur? Arthur will be known for Millennia! Children thousands of years from now will learn of King Arthur of Camelot, and **you** will be all but forgotten!_  
_You monster, you Tyrant, you evil **waste** of a King!_

“How- how-” Uther cowered against the wall, King reduced to a frightened mess. 

_I am Emrys! Born **with** magic, destined to protect the Once and Future King! You think I just made up this name? You think this cuff can hold back **My Magic**? The Druids have prophesied the coming of Arthur since the dawn of time!_  
_Arthur is, and forever shall be, a greater man that you ever attempted to become!_

Arthur looked up at his protector, his dragon, his friend, standing over him with pure hatred for his fa-fath- 

_Leave now, Uther Pendragon, and I won’t turn you into a smoldering pile of ash!_

_**GO**!_

Uther ran, stumbling around the corner as he went. 

Emrys hmphed, a small jet of fire coming out of each nostril. 

“Emrys,” Morgana said quietly, “You can let him go now.” 

He looked down at Arthur, held tightly against his side.  
He uncurled his tail, letting Arthur move. 

“Arthur?” Morgana asked. 

“I'm fine, Morgana,” Arthur said, brushing her hand away, “I'm- it's fine.”  
He sighed, running his hand over his face and through his hair. 

Emrys was looking at him with worry.  
His eyes flashed gold as he closed them, saying silently, _Placere obliviscaris!_

“What did you do?” Gwaine asked. 

_I made them forget._

“You what?” Arthur asked. 

_You’ll… find out…_  
He swayed from side to side, falling in a heap on the ground. He winced as his hurt wing slammed into the floor. 

“Ermys!” Arthur yelled. 

“What happened?!” Morgana asked, going within Emrys’s line of sight. 

_Magic plus magic-binding-cuff, not a great combination_. He smirked, though he was clearly in pain. 

“Right,” Arthur said, grabbing the Sword of Medhir from where he dropped it. 

_Wait!_ Emrys said, moving his head so he was facing Arthur, _Wait._  
_When you break that… I’ll shift back into human form._

“We won’t tell anyone,” Percival said. 

_I-I know,_ Emrys replied, _I just, want to say, I’m sorry. For hiding from you all._

“You had no choice,” Mordred said. 

_I had every choice,_ he said, _yet I ignored every opportunity. Thank you for not telling them, Mordred._

Mordred beamed while Morgana and Arthur glanced at the boy. 

“You told Mordred and not _me_?” Arthur asked. 

_He’s a Druid, they all sort of know. I can’t explain it._

“I can’t either,” Mordred shrugged, “It's really complicated to explain to those who don't understand magic.” 

Arthur walked over to the chain attached to the cuff.  
“Ready?” 

Emrys closed his eyes. 

The chains rattled.  
Everyone held their breaths.  
The sword wooshed through the air.  
**Clang!**  
A bright light blinded them all, sending Arthur back as he covered his eyes.  
Emrys moaned, wings shrinking into nothingness, black scales fading into pale skin.  
Golden scales fading into a birthmark.  
Golden eyes faded to blue.  
A familiar figure stood, swaying on the spot.  
Eyes rolling back into his head.  
Morgana _screamed_. 

Arthur caught Merlin as he fell. 

~~~~~  
“Are you sure about this?” Arthur asked, staring up at the four horses. 

“We’re certain,” Lancelot replied. 

“Uther needs someone to chase, if what Emr- Merlin said was true. Lets hope he forgot you were involved, eh princess?” Gwaine smirked. 

“It’s the best way to get Mordred home,” Percival added, looking over at the young teen, who was falling asleep on his horse. 

“Don’t let Uther get to him,” Mordred mumbles sleepily, “I’ll kill you if you do.” 

“Mordred!” Lancelot scolded, as Arthur laughed. 

“My Father won’t get anywhere near Merlin, I promise,” he replied, “Though I’d like to see you try.” 

The four turned their horses towards the rising sun.  
“One more thing,” Arthur said.  
They looked over their shoulders at him.  
“The moment I am crowned King, I want you four by my side. What is a King without his trusted Knights?” 

Arthur looked over his shoulder at a noise, missing the looks on his future Knight’s faces. 

“Go!” he commanded, and they spurred their horses on. 

Mordred looked back. 

Arthur smiled. 

~~~~~  
George walked down to the dungeons before his morning duties.  
The guards let him pass.  
It’s just George.  


He walked down the hall, peering into cells as he went. 

“Excuse me,” George asked a guard, “I was wondering if anyone was caught doing anything suspicious last night?” 

“Three strange men broke in, and broke the bloody dragon out,” the guard spat, “Bloody sorcerers.” 

George looked at the man, stunned and confused.  
“And the Prince?” 

“Still locked up in his room. Wouldn’t want to guard him, spoiled brat.” 

George walked away, completely lost... 

~~~~~  
_I know...what you did to my mother..._

_...What are you talking about?_

_You were so, desperate for an heir, you were prepared to use magic._

_Did Morgause tell you this? She's lying._

_My mother is dead because of your selfishness and arrogance. Her blood is on your hands._

_No. That's not true. But Morgause would have you believe that._

_**This** is what fuels your hatred for those who practice magic. Rather than, blame **yourself** for what you did, you blame them._

_You would believe a sorcerer's lies, over the word of your own father? I can only think that Morgause has enchanted you._

_**You** hunted her kind like animals! How many **hundreds** have you condemned to death to **ease** your guilt?_

_Those who practice **magic** will stop at **nothing** to **destroy us**! I have only done what is **necessary** to protect this kingdom!_

_You speak of honour, and nobility! You're nothing, but a hypocrite, and a **liar**!_

_I am your **King** , and your father. You will show me some **respect!**_

The metal gauntlet clangs at Uther's feet. 

_Have you lost your mind?_

_Pick it up._

_Arthur, I implore you, think about what you're doing._

_Pick, it up._

_I will not fight you._

_If you choose, not to defend yourself, I will strike you down where you stand._

_You are my son. You will not strike an unarmed man._

_I no longer think of myself, as **your** son._

_Then strike me down._

_**Clang!**_

_I don't want to fight you._

_**Clang-clangclangclangclang,**_  
_**Shhhhhing!**_

_Arthur, stop this!_

_**Clang-clang...**_

_**...Bang!**_

_Arthur! Don't! I know you don't want to do this!_

_My mother is **dead** because of him!_

_Arthur **please** , put the sword down._

_You heard, what my mother said! After **everything** he has done, do you believe he deserves to live?!_  
_He executes those who use magic, and yet he has used it himself!_  
_You, have caused so much suffering, and pain! I will put an end to that!_

_Morgause is lying!_  
_She's an enchantress. She tricked you. That was not your mother you saw. That was an illusion._  
_Everything...everything your mother said to you...those were Morgause's words._

_You **don't know that**!_  
_This has been her plan all along! To turn you, against your father. And if, you kill him, the kingdom will be destroyed! This is what she wants!_

_Listen to him, he's speaking the truth._

_Swear to me, it isn't true! You are not responsible for my mother's death!_  
_Give me your word!_

_I swear on my life, I loved your mother. There isn't a day passes that I don't wish that she were still alive._  
_I could never have done anything to hurt her._

A sword falls the ground. 

_My son, you mean more to me than...than anything._

_Oh, Lord._  
_I'm sorry._

_You are not to blame._

~~~~~  
“Arthur!” the King greeted, smiling. 

“Father,” Arthur bowed, uncomfortable. 

“What’s wrong my Son?” 

“Nothing, just… I have the strangest feeling that I’ve blacked out for many days. It’s probably just the after effect of a weird dream,” he easily lied. 

“You were enchanted,” the King said, “The Dragon tricked you.” 

“What dragon?” Arthur asked, skilfully confused. 

“It’s a long story, you’ll get caught up soon enough.  
I’m sorry, I failed to protect you.” 

“I’m sure you did the best you could, Father.” 

“That does not excuse that _monster's_ actions.”  
Arthur bit his tongue to keep himself from talking back.  
“What of your manservant?” Uther asked, “I haven’t seen him around.” 

“Oh,” Arthur replied, a little tense, “His mother was recently widowed, so I gave him leave to take care of her. He... should be back soon.” 

“Tell him to take all the time he needs, I completely understand. You can make do with the other one for a little while longer, can’t you?” 

“Of course, Father.” 

~~~~~  
Merlin was awake.  


He slowly opened his eyes.  
He stretched, extending his claws-  
No, wait, stretching his fingers. 

_I have fingers again!_  
_And arms._  
_And-_

Merlin looked at his torso. It was wrapped in bandages, but his birthmark still stood out in places. 

He looked at his surroundings.  
_I’m back in my, room,_ he thought, _I-_  
His eyes widened as they met the gaze of familiar blue eyes. 

He coward, covering his chest.  
“It wasn’t a dream, then,” he said, staring at his sheets. 

“No,” Arthur said, “It wasn’t.” 

The silence stretched on for what felt like a millennia. 

“Arthur, I-” 

“No, Merlin,” Arthur said. 

“Just let me explain-” 

“ _No_ , Merlin.” 

Merlin shut up. 

“We need to talk,” Arthur said, “but not now. Right now, all I want to know is... how you are feeling. How are you feeling, Merlin?” 

“...”  
“...Like my skin was ripped off.” 

“That’s not funny.” 

“Wasn’t trying to be.” 

“...”  
“...Morgana’s worried sick. So is Gwen. They’ve come to visit you every day, whenever they have time.” 

“Every day?” 

“You’ve been out for over a week.” 

“Oh.” 

“The King still doesn’t know you’re here. Gaius is surprisingly good at keeping secrets.” 

Merlin chuckled. 

“How many times, Merlin?” Arthur asked, staring out the window, “How many times am I going to sit by your bedside wondering if you’ll ever wake up? How many times have you been hurt and dying and I had no idea? When I ordered you to do hard work which probably hurt you even more?” 

_...promise me this, if you get another servant, don't get a bootlicker._

_If this is you trying to leave your job..._

_No. I'm happy to be your servant. Till the day I die._

_Sometimes I think I know you, Merlin. Other times..._

_Well, I know you. And you're a great warrior. One day, you'll be a great King..._  
_...Just, don't be a prat..._

“How many times have you lied to me?” 

Merlin didn’t respond. 

“Why didn’t you escape?” Arthur asked, looking at Merlin now. “You could have flown away. Why did you let the King capture you?”  
Arthur sighed, not expecting an answer. 

“I will never harm a citizen of Camelot, unless they try to harm you,” Merlin said quietly, “I wasn't going to hurt the Knights.” 

“That's stupid, Merlin! You could have _died!_ ” 

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” he mumbled. 

__“_ **You** -_” Arthur started, pointing at Merlin threateningly. 

Merlin curled in on himself further, awaiting whatever Arthur would do-  
Arthur moved, wrapping his arms around Merlin in a tight, bone-snapping hug. 

“ _You-_ ” Arthur said, voice cracking so he took a short breath, “you idiot.” 

Merlin’s eyes widened, unsure of what to do. 

“Arthur?” 

“Idiot,” Arthur said.  
“...Prat,” Merlin said, finally returning the hug. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_Twisted fate, unchanging Destiny._  
_The Witch will find another._  
_The Boy will grow and become a man._  
_Friends will become trusted Knights._  
_Lovers will shift into something more._  
_The King will fall._  
_Did you think this tale was over?_  
_There are three seasons left._  


_Emrys will return._

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dialoge taken from the sins of the father and le mort de arthur.  
> I finished a fan fiction for once, woo~  
> I do plan on going all the way to the end, though. I already know what happens at Camlain }:)
> 
> EDIT: its really small but a previous version of this had merlin say "Dollophead" but he doesnt make that word up until season three, lol.


End file.
